Yesterday's Tomorrow
by karemin
Summary: Kuroko skips practice, and Midorima leaves early, leaving their more than confused teammates in a panic. When both Seirin and Shuutoku try to get to the bottom of these mysteries, they are dragged into yet another clutter that involved the Generation of Miracles, and eventually discover a side to them that no one expected. Featuring like 90% of the KnB cast (sort of).
1. Chapter 1

If it didn't count as strange that Kuroko, with his perfect attendance to after school practice—even when he wasn't actually present _at _school—had actually _skipped_ practice for the first time (something which the team didn't realize until half an hour in, rubbing their eyes and darting their heads around to make sure that yes, Kuroko was _not_ being exceptional at erasing his presence, but was actually _not there_) then it was definitely strange that he had skipped the day_ after_, _and_ the day after that— the current day—giving the team a mild panic attack that launched a series of theories and speculation on Kuroko's "highly-probable" and sudden attainment of the actual power invisibility, or his entrapment in the world of shadows, or Kagami's inhuman appetite rendering him unable to distinguish friend from food.

"Are you serious," Kagami growled, actually pausing his attempts at trying to start practice. "I'd at least _notice _if I were eating Kuroko—he's practically skin and bones! _Gyudon_ has more meat than him!"

The coach smacked him behind the head with a paper fan. "As opposed to being able to distinguish between what's actually _human _and what's cooked?!" she gritted, squinting. Kagami chuckled sheepishly. "_'Ehehe' _my butt! These discussions have been disrupting practice since yesterday!"

"But coach," Koganei offered, stepping forward. "Aren't you _a little _bit curious? I mean, this is _Kurok_o we're talking about, he _never _misses practice."

Riko considered this for a few beats, and crossed her arms. "Well, it _is _pretty weird that he's skipped not once, but _thrice_ in a row now, but it's not like it's forbidden—and in any case, instead of coming up with stupid theories, why don't you just go and ask Kuroko yourselves!"

"Ask me what?"

"Ask Kuroko why he's been—_eh_?" Riko glanced to the side, discovered that someone had suddenly appeared there, and instinctively spun around and smacked Kuroko upside the head with the paper fan, squealing. The rest of the team jumped, yelping octaves higher than can be considered manly.

"Ack! Kuroko!" Riko drew back her weapon, wincing. "S-sorry, it was a reflex."

"You're late!" Hyuuga pointed out, pushing his glasses up. "And what's up? You haven't shown up to practice the past few days!"

"Sorry," Kuroko said, slightly bent in pain, two hands on the sore spot on his head. He straightened up slightly to meet the captain's eyes. "I'm sorry I skipped without any notice for two days. And sorry for being late, but I actually just came here to return Furihata-kun's notebook. I have to leave early today, too."

"Wha—eh?"

Kuroko fished out a notebook from his bag and walked towards Furihata, handing it to him. "Thank you for lending me your notes," he said to him, bowing slightly.

Furihata blinked. "Oh, ah, sure! No problem!" he said, taking the notebook and somehow bowing slightly too. Kuroko's mouth quirked up faintly before he stepped back, glancing over at Kagami, who blinked at him. Kuroko seemed to consider something as he looked at his partner, but then turned to his team. He bowed again, almost hesitantly. "Sorry," he repeated. "I'll be taking my leave for today, then," and he turned on his heel and slipped out of the gym.

Seirin's basketball team was somehow set on _pause_, not quite processing what had just happened. The lot of them blinked a couple of times before Hyuuga spun around, "Kagami!" he yelled, pointing a finger at the redhead. "What did you do?!"

Kagami shook his head, snapping out of his pause. "What?! Why _me_? I didn't do anything!"

"_What_ just happened?" Kawahara asked, head cocked to one side.

"I—Kuroko's skipping again?" Fukuda said, confused.

"Well, like they say, third time's the ch—"

"Shut up Izuki!"

"Gah!" Koganei cried, gripping the sides of his head. "We weren't able to ask him!"

The coach let out an exasperated sigh, her groan laced with the resignation of being so done with all the goldfish-level attention spans she's had to deal with since Kuroko's unexpected absences. "That's it!" Riko started, patting the paper fan over her palm. "Let's go find out what he's up to!"

* * *

_Shuutoku High School, same afternoon_

It had just occurred to Takao how seldom he actually saw Midorima without a shirt, and how even less often he saw him _showering_. Without a shirt. In the shower. It probably looked rather suspicious how pointedly he was staring over the low shower cubicle divider at his half-naked partner, trying to decipher why the image of 'Midorima Showering' was somehow not right, but all of his fellow teammates had one after the other started doing so as well, not quite understanding what was wrong with the picture.

"Wait, what," Miyaji said, halfway into a cubicle, squinting at the now-rinsing Midorima.

Takao's arms felt a tingle of strain when he realized that he hadn't dropped his hands from shampooing his head ever since seeing Midorima get in the cubicle next to him to shower. The pang made him blink and realize rather belatedly that _Midorima was showering._ With them. _After practice._

"Shin-chan why are you here?" Takao blurted, the words spilling out clumsily.

Shin-chan ruffled the last of the shampoo suds from his green hair, bowing slightly under the shower. Afterwards, he closed the shower and turned to look at Takao. "Why shouldn't I be? I have to shower before changing, Takao."

"No no no," Takao chanted, gathering himself. "I mean, you're not going to do your shooting practice again?"

Midorima seemed to think about it, glancing away. After a moment, he ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it back over his forehead, and locked eyes with his partner. Takao swallowed, staring back, realizing just now that Midorima wasn't wearing his glasses. And that he looked _really _different with his hair pulled up. And that his lower eyelashes were thick, with water droplets dotting them. And that he was close enough to count them, and he was actually trying.

"No," was all Shin-chan said after the pause, regarding Takao's gaze with a look that Takao knew was different but couldn't quite figure out _how_. Midorima turned around to leave, wrapping a towel around his waist and picking up his glasses, popping them over his eyes. "I'll be taking my leave now."

He bowed slightly at the exit of the showers and turned, stepping out. A few beats passed before Miyaji repeated more confusedly, squinting and frowning, "Wait, _what?_"

"Takao, what did you do?!" Ootsubo accused, turning sharply to their point guard.

Takao jerked out of his daze, sending drops of soap and water flying from his hair. "What?! Why _me_?"

"He's been leaving earlier than all of us these past few days! He hasn't done his shooting practice either, there's something wrong!" Miyaji scolded, vigorously scrubbing at his hair.

"And why would it be _my _fault?!" Takao defended, getting under the torrent of the shower as he rinsed his head. The team seemed to be in a frenzy, showering furiously as if to make up for not finishing before Midorima, who usually stayed later than anyone to do his routine shooting practice.

"Guys!" Kimura suddenly burst in from the entrance, half-dressed in their school uniform. "I—Midorima—he—"

"Yeah, he left early. _Again_. This is weird."

"No, no!" Kimura swallowed, catching his thoughts. "That _is _weird but today he's leaving with a small bouquet of flowers in hand!"

There was a pause, and then:

_"WHAT."_

"Are you _sure?_" Ootsubo asked, eyes wide.

"You sure that wasn't his lucky item?!"

"Then what's the big-ass eggplant he's been carrying all day for?!"

"Nah, the eggplant is his lucky item for today," Takao said, leaving his cubicle and fumbling with the towel around his waist. "Kimura-san, did you see which way Shin-chan turned after leaving the locker room?"

"Huh? Uh, right?"

"That's the wrong side," Takao said, a hand under his chin. "The left exit of the gym leads to the rickshaw, where we usually park because it's the closest entrance to the road we take from his house."

"Hm," Ootsubo thought seriously, the last to leave the showers as the team filed into the locker room to change. "He can't have taken a wrong turn. Maybe he had an errand to run?"

"But what's with the flowers?" Miyaji asked, somehow almost fully dressed.

"It couldn't be—"

The Shuutoku team had a simultaneous thought, all of them freezing and turning to look at each other in shock.

_"A girlfriend?!"_

A beat passed, then everything seemed to spill out in a rush.

"Nonononono. No way. Not _our _Midorima….right?"

"Maybe he's giving the flowers to his mother or granny or something!"

"Then why has he been leaving early since Monday?"

"…He was growing the flowers?"

"Dumbass! What kind of explanation is that!"

"He can't have a girlfriend before me!"

"That's not the point!"

"Let's—" Takao started, not quite sure where his train of thought was going, or why there seemed to be a lump at his throat. "Let's go follow him!"

The team looked at him, and the idea seemed to settle into their thoughts hesitantly, albeit agreeably. Takao was smirking crookedly, features pricked with an edge of panic. There was a tentative bead of sweat rolling down the team's collective wariness, and they all seemed to nod at the same time, Miyaji the first to break the silence.

"Let's do it."

"_Ohh!_" The team boomed, much like their energetic roar before every match. They swiftly collected their belongings and slunk out of the locker room, jogging out of the gym in the direction Midorima was last seen. They had filed out and collected themselves as a team, switching gears and positioning themselves so that Takao was in front and had the best field of vision for his Hawk Eye to quickly spot their green-haired shooter. The other members positioned themselves strategically behind him, ready to shift their formation to instantly hide in case Midorima's seen.

"Alright, look out for green hair and a stupid huge-ass eggplant."

"And flowers."

"All in one tall arrogant brat with glasses."

He wasn't hard to find.

"There!" Takao announced, shifting his heels to veer to one side away from Midorima's field of vision. The team responded instantly, falling quickly behind him. Midorima had just rounded the second corner near the end of the road to their school, and Takao waited until he disappeared from their sight, then shifted to move towards the road before the one Midorima took, detouring to end up behind Midorima as he reached the next road that led downtown. When they saw Midorima cross the street, they waited a bit before following after him, keeping away some meters behind him.

Just as Midorima was about to cross another street, he abruptly paused, sending the team to a skittering halt when he switched his hold on the eggplant and flowers and fished out his phone from his pocked, suddenly turning, his side facing his stalking teammates who scrambled to hide in the nearest open store next to them. They panted, pulses racing at almost having been caught stalking their _tsundere_ teammate.

After a few beats, Miyaji was first to move, pulling out his phone and sticking it out into the sidewalk, angling it a certain way before clicking, taking a picture. He pulled his hand back, and the team huddled around his phone, examining the photo. In it, Midorima still had his side towards them, the eggplant and flowers in his right arm, his cellphone held to his ear with his finger-taped left hand.

"Who's he talking to on the phone?"

"How would _I_ know?"

"You don't think—"

"—the girlfriend?"

"We don't know that yet!"

"But who would call him?!"

"I barely even see him use his phone."

"Wait! There was one time he got a message during the opening ceremony of Inter High!"

"You're right! He even left afterwards! Who _was_ it?"

"I don't know! He just excused himself, saying he was _'being summoned'_."

_"Arf!"_

"…Arf?" The team paused, looking down. Near their feet stood a black and white dog with big round eyes, wearing a black, red and white jersey, that looked very familiar.

"Dog?" Miyaji craned his neck forward, squinting at it. "Hmm? Doesn't he look familiar?"

Takao regarded the dog with his own squint, a pang of familiarity nudging at his brain. "I _know_ I've seen this dog before."

"It's wearing a jersey, isn't it? Number 16?"

Just then, the dog's ear twitched, and it gave a small bark before trotting away, in the direction of Midorima.

"…Huh. Random."

Takao was about to agree when he realized something. "Wait!" He spun around and practically leapt out in the open sidewalk. He blinked once before frantically announcing, "Shin-chan's gone!"

The team followed him, running out into the sidewalk to see it devoid of eggplant-holding _tsunderes_. "Quick! Let's catch up!" Ootsuba barked, jogging forward. The team followed, turning the corner Midorima was about to turn before taking the phone call. When they cleared the turn, they skidded to a halt when they didn't find their shooter in sight. They quickly scanned the area, Takao surveying it more times than any of them, before they all groaned.

"He's gone!"

"How could he disappear like that?! Has he been taking lessons from Seirin's Number 11?"

"Seirin's—ah! I remember now!" Takao announced, fist smacking his palm in realization. "The dog a while ago was Kuroko's!"

"What, really?" Miyaji asked, then considered it. "Well, come to think of it, it _did _look like the kid."

_"Arf!"_

"Arf again?"

The Shuutoku boys turned to the sound of barking, and saw that passersby seemed to avoid a certain spot across the street from them, right at the intersection. They straightened up to see that there were two people, one cat-like male and one shorthaired female, hoisted up on tall men's shoulders_, _facing opposite directions, hands over their brows as if they were searching for something far away. Around them, in a circle, were a number of pretty tall highschoolers looking in all directions and completing the ridiculous formation. The black and white dog from earlier bounded towards them, barking affectionately, and one of the tall men—a readhead—yelped at the sight of it near his feet, jumping so incredibly high despite having a tall guy sitting on his shoulders. His passenger leaned heavily to one side, flapping wildly, losing balance as the two crashed against the other guys around them, sending half of the formation into a tumble of long limbs and thrown-around curses.

"Wow, that was a high jum—wait, aren't those the _Seirin _guys?!"

True enough, the mess of flailing limbs and tumbling bodies looked to be Seirin's basketball team, with their coach hoisted on the shoulders of their bespectacled captain, who was trying to dodge the thrashing limbs of his teammates on the ground (and having a _really _hard time doing it, since his passenger was gripping his head in a tight hug, trying to keep balance and effectively blinding the captain). One of the long limbs got him behind the knees, making the captain double over and sending the coach flying towards the ground. She caught herself and twisted around just in time to land squarely on the back of Kiyoshi Teppei, who's breath was knocked out of his lungs, deflating him until he went slack.

The Shuutoku regulars gaped at them, actually somewhat amazed at how well the Seirin guys generated continuous team chaos. The people around them had actually stopped steering away and laughed, some flipping out camera phones to document the epic battle of limbs.

"Oh my god, this is _ridiculous_," Miyaji groaned, stomping across the street towards the chaos of a team. The rest of Shuutoku's guys followed him, trying to make sense of what was happening with the regulars, their coach, and a dog. Takao had barely gotten there when an elbow came swinging at him, narrowly missing his face when he jerked away, stumbling backwards into Miyaji, who lost his balance when a foot somehow appeared at his side. Ootsubo caught them both, pulling them away from the mess, all of Shuutoku's regulars staring in bewilderment after.

"Holy crap," Takao breathed. "These guys are dangerous. It's like their chaos has an area of effect."

"More like their stupidity," Miyaji scowled, breaking free of Ootsubo and straightening Takao up.

Somehow, suddenly the dog and a paper fan were flying in the air, and not realizing how that had happened, the Seirin guys panicked into a scramble to catch the dog, spreading out impressively quick and coordinating so that Kiyoshi was the one to catch the dog, jumping forward at the same time Kagami leapt across his side, snatching the paper fan from their coach's outstretched hand, quickly passing it to Hyuuga, who tossed it over to Izuki on the other side, who swiftly packed the fan into his bag, making the coach scowl and squint at them. "I don't know if I should be mad or proud that your coordination just now was top-notch just to keep me from getting that," she said.

"_And _to catch Nigou!" Kiyoshi pointed out, just as his eyes spotted the Shuutoku regulars. "Oh! It's you guys! Hi!"

The Seirin team followed his line of sight, recognizing the Shuutoku team. Kagami perked up, "Hey! You guys are Midorima's—"

"It's Shuutoku!" Miyaji snapped.

The coach blinked at them, then bowed slightly. "Hello. Fancy meeting you here."

"Uh, yeah, you too," Takao said as his team bowed a little as well. "We were passing by when we saw you—_what were_ you guys doing? You know, before the chaos ensued."

"Oh, the Shadow Formation?" Koganei chipped in, raising a finger.

"The _what_?"

"Please ignore the stupid name," Hyuuga said, grunting. "Our team decided to go and follow Kuroko out today, but as you probably know, he's really good at disappearing."

"We lost sight of him when we turned to this area so we switched to a circular formation to cover all directions," the coach continued. "And got a good vantage point. On _these_ guys, at least," she jerked a thumb at Hyuuga and Kagami, who served as her and Koganei's ride.

The Shuutoku guys nodded, seeing the logic behind the ridiculous formation. Seirin's coach snapped her fingers, face lighting up. "But wait! This is perfect! Can we borrow your point guard?"

"What," Takao started, but the agreement of the Seirin guys had him by the arm in an instant.

"Whoa, wait, why do you need Takao?" Miyaji asked, grabbing Takao's other arm, as if to play tug-of-war with him as the rope.

"He can spot Kuroko! We haven't been able to find him at all this past hour and a half."

"Hu—_wow_, he's probably gone by now!" Takao cried, staggering against the tugging in his arms. "Besides, we're out looking for Shin-chan!"

"Shin-chan…? Oh, you mean Midorima?" Kagami said. "I saw him and his eggplant pass by just a while ago."

"_Where?_" the Shuutoku team barked.

"Went right past us, straight ahead," Kagami said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. "What's up? Why are you looking for him?"

"He's been acting pretty weird lately too," Ootsubo explained. "We just started following him a few minutes ago, after practice, but we lost him at the intersection, then saw you guys."

Takao had already run around them to look at the road Kagami pointed to, eyes scanning the area wide. He squinted when he saw a smidge of green in the distance, a few blocks ahead, and yelled when he saw a flash of eggplant. "I think I see him!" He then noticed a lower smidge of sky blue following behind the eggplant. "And I think Kuroko's with him!"

"What? Really?" both teams turned to look, squinting. A beat passed, then Izuki piped up, "Wait, I think I see them! They're turning the corner to the right!"

"Yeah, let's go!" Takao said, jogging forward, Izuki right beside him. The remaining guys followed after, smirking at each other and their bird-eyed point guards.

It wasn't long before they caught up and saw that Midorima _was _walking briskly together with Kuroko, who had taken possession of the small bouquet of flowers.

"B-b-b-_boyfriend?!_" Kimura stammered, suddenly flushed.

"What are you talking about," Kagami said, side-eyeing Midorima's team, striding enough to keep up the pace but still lag far enough behind. Kuroko and Midorima seemed to be in half a rush, sharply turning again.

"Where _are_ they even _going_?" Hyuuga grumbled. It was getting late.

They continued stalking the two for quite some time before the destination slowly became clear to them. When they saw Midorima and Kuroko push through the glass doors of their town's biggest hospital, the questions and suspicions of both teams cleared somewhat, each side somehow not feeling the need for explanations anymore.

"The hospital, huh?" Takao said, exhaling. Neither group seemed to feel like following their former-Teikou teammates anymore.

"Man, that was unexpected," Hyuuga sighed, leaning back against the tree they hid behind, looking up. "So they're visiting someone."

The members of Seirin's basketball team seemed to share a knowing look, glancing at their captain and Kiyoshi, the pillars of their team who've had enough dealings with the hospital in the past. A solemn look briefly passed Kiyoshi's expression before he flashed a mischievous, beaming grin. "I'm curious about who they're visiting though!"

The others turned to look at him, already about to voice out their arguments when suddenly, a flash of black and blue dashed past them and their "hiding spot" (a tree and bench at the entrance of the hospital that did very little to conceal more than a dozen high school basketball players).

Kagami was the first to recognize the jogging figure, just from seeing his back, which he had gazed at in awe more times than he'd openly admit. "Aomine?!"

Through the glass doors of the hospital, they could see that it was indeed Touou's Aomine who ran past them, turning in the same direction Midorima and Kuroko did once inside.

"Okay," Kagami stood, determined. "I'm _really _curious now."

He maneuvered out of the cluster of basketball players and started for the hospital entrance. A shallow guilt seemed to wash over the others, but curiosity got the better of them, so they all stood and made to follow.

[tbc]


	2. Chapter 2

The afternoon's mysteries hung over the two unlikely grouped teams, and as they slunk around the white halls of the hospital, more mysteries seemed to pop up from what they had managed to put together. The first was the question of why Kuroko _skipped_ practice as opposed to Midorima simply leaving early afterwards—with a time difference of at least one and a half hours—alongside why they had started doing so at the same time, and for three consecutive days. The second had been where they were going to consistently whenever they left, which for that day had turned out to be the hospital, which then begged the question of _who_ they were visiting there. The appearance of Touou's Aomine following after them made it even more curious of a mystery, and they vaguely wondered if any of the remaining members of the _Generation of Miracles_ was hospitalized, given that formerly being on the same monstrous team was a common denominator among them.

The more disheartening mystery was the reason whoever it is they were visiting was hospitalized, more so that it was for _at least_ three days. The thought settled grimly on the group of basketball club members: being hospitalized for three days meant that something serious might have happened, and Midorima, Kuroko, _and_ Aomine visiting made it seem very likely.

It should have also been a mystery that Aomine wasn't either being dragged or followed around by Momoi Satsuki, seeing as they were almost always together, but it didn't occur to the group until Momoi had all but crashed into Kagami as he rounded a corner, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

"Ack!" Kagami yelped, elbows shooting out from under him to break his fall. Momoi squealed and brought her hands out, landing on top of him, face to face.

"S-sorry—" Momoi blinked. "Ah, Kagamin!"

"Momoi!"

"_Ahem!_"

Kagami turned his head to find his coach glaring at him, paper fan at the ready. He raised his eyebrow, confused, and then realized the rather scandalous position he and Momoi were in. They both promptly blushed and clambered to stand, flustered.

"Sorry about that, Kagamin!" Momoi said, and then grunted. "I was in a rush because stupid Dai-chan left me."

"Dai-cha—oh, Aomine Daiki?" Takao laughed, muffled under his hand. "I see we have similar nicknaming sense."

Momoi just then realized that about a dozen basketball players were clumped together at the hall beside them. "W-wah—Seirin and Shuutoku!" The other guys lit up from their glaring at Kagami's 'lucky' fall. Momoi smiled at them. "Are you guys worried about Midorin and Tetsu-kun?"

"Eh? How did you know?" Riko asked, tucking the paper fan under her arm.

Momoi chuckled lightly, though her smile was edged with worry. "I was expecting something like this to happen."

"What's going on, anyway?" Kagami probed. "Who are you guys visiting?"

Hyuuga elbowed his ribs. "Bakagami! Try to have more tact!"

Momoi giggled, waving her hand. "It's okay, that's what Tetsu-kun likes about Kagamin." She was about to continue when a flash of crimson flittered into her vision from the corner of her eye, and she jerked in surprise, suddenly shoving at Kagami and the other highschoolers into the hall. "Gah, sorry, you guys have to hide!"

"What? Why?" Kagami flailed, stumbling as everyone else staggered backwards behind him.

"Err, it's hard to explain," Momoi hissed, putting a finger over her mouth to signal them to be quiet. Seeing her cute expression made the others comply. "But I promise you'll understand eventually. Just wait here until I pass by okay?"

She left with that, ducking out of the corner, leaving the group with questioning looks. Momoi turned the corner and left their view, and they heard her call out, "Ah, you're here!"

From somewhere they couldn't see, the others heard a sharp voice answer her. "Satsuki."

Somehow, the voice sent shivers down everyone's spines. There was something very familiar in that piercing, almost stately tone, and a few of them started trying to peek around the wall to check who it was when Momoi passed by them again, surprising them back into hiding. Her eyes flickered to their group as she walked by them, speaking to her new companion at her side.

"Akashi-kun, it's at the _fourth floor_, right?" Momoi said, glancing at the Seirin-Shuutoku group when she said 'fourth floor'.

The group gaped. Beside her, Akashi Seijuuro, freshman captain of the formidable Rakuzan, walked, strident, mismatched eyes staring straight ahead. He strode forward and gave a small nod. "Yes. Room 409."

The group seemed to shrink into the shade of the hall as he passed by, somewhat understanding why Momoi wanted them to hide. When a couple of minutes ticked by and they were sure that Momoi and Akashi were gone, they relaxed, slumping against the wall.

"Why is _Akashi Seijuuro_ here?" Takao hissed under his breath.

"Hell if I know!" Kagami answered. "Isn't Rakuzan all the way in _Kyoto?_"

"Why are you guys whispering?" Kiyoshi butt in, leaning over their hunched forms. "They're probably on an elevator by now."

Takao cleared his throat, then spoke normally. "Right. Well, looks like the Generation of Miracles is having some kind of reunion."

"Fourth floor, right?" Kagami said, already slinking towards the elevators.

The others gingerly followed him. "We're still planning on following them, aren't we," Ootsubo grimaced. "I feel like we're snooping on something we're not supposed to be snooping in on."

Hyuuga grunted beside him in agreement. "Can't say I'm not curious myself, but I'm getting increasingly guiltier about this."

"Ahh, lighten up!" Kiyoshi boomed behind him, smacking him on the back. "Visits are happier when there are many people!"

"Yeah! Like they say, 'the more the many-er'!" Izuki beamed.

"Oh look, we're in a hospital. Want to get on a stretcher, Izuki?"

Izuki flinched, hiding behind Kiyoshi while sticking out his tongue at Hyuuga. Everyone else felt lighter, chuckling at the antics as they waited by the elevators.

"You look kind of worried there, Kagami," Takao said, poking Kagami. "What are you thinking about?"

The redhead glanced at him, and then shook his head. "Nothing. It's just—if the Generation of Miracles is all gathering here, who exactly are they here for? Momoi, Aomine, Kuroko, Midorima, and even Akashi have shown up, so that just leaves—"

"Kise and Murasakibara," Hyuuga finished.

"But Murasakibara's supposed to be all the way in Akita," Miyaji said. "The closest to here would be Kise then."

Kagami bit his lip. "I hope that idiot didn't get himself injured again."

Hyuuga gave him a solid pat on the shoulder. "He should be fine, stubborn idiot that he is," he said. "Besides, we're not sure who it is they're visiting yet."

The elevators dinged open, and the highschoolers clambered to cram inside it, grunting against the little space they had to breathe. They had just started trying to wrestle each other when the doors slid apart, sending half of them stumbling all over one another into the hall. After managing to pull themselves together, they walked along the corridor as silently as possible, following the arrangement of numbered doors until they reached the corner which would lead to their target room. Seirin volunteered Izuki to peek at the connecting hall, and a second after he stuck half his head to check, he reeled back to the safety of their wall, slightly spooked.

"What? What is it?" Hyuuga asked, fighting the urge to take a glimpse around the corner.

"Sorry, I just panicked a little," Izuki whispered, sighing out his panic. "Room 409 is really close to here, it's just right across—so keep your voices down or we'll be heard. Also, the giant kind of surprised me."

"The giant?"

"Murasakibara, I mean," Izuki said. "He and the rainbow gang are standing by the door."

"The rainbow gang?" Takao tried to stifle his laugh. "So they really _are_ having some kind of reunion."

"Was anyone missing from the group?" Kagami chimed in.

"Um, Kise, I think," Izuki answered. "I didn't spot any yellow."

A worried look passed Kagami's expression, and he made to go into the hall when familiar voices started talking.

"Atsushi, what did the doctor say?"

Kagami froze, and his Seirin teammates dragged him further back. The voice of Akashi, even from a distance, made them all stiffen behind their hiding spot, and the others craned their necks to try to hear the conversation.

"He said we'll have to wait outside first while they do a check-up," the familiar lazy drawl of Murasakibara sounded from the hall.

"Were you able to talk to him?" A darker voice spoke up.

"That's Shin-chan!" Takao whispered, moving closer to the edge of the corner.

"Just a little." Murasakibara sounded slightly annoyed. "It's just like you said, Aka-chin. He started talking about going to work so I had to give him some of my snacks to stall him until the doctor came."

"Good call on that." Aomine's voice went.

"You might have had to wrestle him if the doctors were any longer." A female voice—Momoi—spoke up, giggling lightly.

"Yes, that would have been very likely."

"Ah, that's Kuroko!" Kiyoshi noted, and around four guys had to grab him and pull him back as he tried to turn to the hall.

"Why are you trying to go there?" Hyuuga hissed.

"Why not? They're all our friends right?" Kiyoshi whispered back, an innocent look on his face.

"What will they do if they find out we've been stalking them!" Hyuuga said, bonking him on the head. "Akashi looks like he'll stab anyone who gets near him."

"That's true," Kagami grunted, remembering his encounter with Akashi and his scissors.

The sound of a door opening interrupted any further conversation for both the Seirin-Shuutoku group and the Generation of Miracles members present on the adjacent hall. The stalker group went silent and pressed closer to hear for the new developments, and they heard an older, darker voice speak.

"Ah, Akashi-kun, hello. I see you and your friends are here to visit again."

"Good afternoon, doctor," they heard Akashi respond, formal. "How did the check-up go?"

"He's getting better, but he needs more rest. He was in a pretty dangerous spot when he first came in."

"Can we go in the room now?" Aomine butt in, sounding slightly impatient.

The doctor simply chuckled. "Yes, go ahead. He's still awake, but the medication we just gave him should start making him feel a bit sleepy. Don't take too long, and don't tire him out."

"Of course," Akashi said, and there was a hint of softness in his usual sharp voice.

There were sounds of footsteps shuffling further away, followed by the clicking of a door being closed. The stalker group scattered and tried to act like they were going about some form of official business when the doctor, flanked by two nurses, passed by, and he raised an eyebrow at them before shrugging and heading towards the elevators.

The group gave a collective sigh of relief, relaxing. Kagami and Kiyoshi immediately started heading towards room 409, keeping their footsteps silent as they rounded the corner, the rest of the group following. They faintly heard the sound of people talking inside the room, and as they crept closer, the nameplate by the door became clearer.

The whole group could only blink at the name written on it:

_Nijimura Shuuzou._

* * *

[tbc]


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't as though there was any reason to doubt Akashi's words—there was something about everything that he did and said that commanded absolute certainty—but the Seirin-Shuutoku group found it very disconcerting that the hospital's room 409 was the room of someone who they wouldn't readily name as the recipient of such unusual and colorful visitors. Heck, they didn't even _know_ who this _Nijimura_ was.

"Nijimura…Nijimura…" Miyaji chanted, rubbing his chin with the utmost concentration on his face. "I swear I've heard that name before."

"Niji…as in _rainbow_?" Takao said, pressing his ear against the door to try to eavesdrop. Beside him, Kiyoshi, Koganei, and Izuki were doing the same.

"Looks like it," Hyuuga answered, squinting at the characters on the nameplate. "You know, I think the name's actually familiar."

"Never heard it," Kagami muttered, pulling out his phone. "I think I'll go text Kuroko."

"Idiot, don't text him _now_!" Hyuuga snapped, snatching Kagami's cell phone. Kagami opened his mouth to protest when suddenly a voice called out,

"_Taiga?_"

Everyone and Kagami spun around to the newcomer, who turned out to be Yosen's Himuro Tatsuya, armed with a plastic bag filled to overflowing with snacks and candy bars.

"_Tatsuya?_" Kagami exclaimed, scooting away from the door. "What are you doing all the way here? In Tokyo?"

Himuro recovered from his surprise, blinking confusedly at the large group of highschoolers gathered before him. "I'm—here to visit a the guy hospitalized in that room you're blocking. Are you guys doing the same?"

"N-No," Kagami stuttered, glancing at the door. "Wait—you know who this Nijimura is?"

"Well, yeah," Himuro said, adjusting his hold on the snacks. "I met him in LA a few months back. We became friends after a series of uh, certain events. Which involved gangs. You know, normal LA business."

Kagami nodded, but looked even more confused. "But how is he related to Kuroko and the Generation of Miracles?"

"Ah, you don't know?" Himuro cocked his head to one side. "He's a basketball player too. Or used to be. Are Atsushi and the others inside? I'm bringing these snacks in for them. Or just Atsushi. He could probably finish this all." He looked thoughtful. "Maybe I should pay a visit to the vending machine around the corner."

"Wait wait," Kagami put his hand out to block his brother. "Basketball player, you say? Was he formerly in Teikou?"

"Ahh!" Miyaji burst out, smacking a fist into his palm. "That's right! Nijimura Shuuzou! He used to be the captain of Teikou middle school's basketball team!"

"Ahh! _Right!_" exclaimed Hyuuga. "Right, I remember now! He was the captain before Akashi!"

"_What?_" came the simultaneous outbursts of a number of highschoolers.

"_Pipe down_ everyone!" Takao hissed, ear still pressed on the door. "We're _right next_ to the room! They'll hear us! Or actually wait—" the hall went silent, and they could hear a muffled voice from behind the door. "Wait—I think they _did _hear us! Shit, let's scram!"

Takao had barely backed off from the door when it silently swung open, revealing a blank-faced Kuroko behind it, who stopped and stared at the mess that was his team and Shuutoku's regulars scattered around the door.

"Remember to get some of those cheesy croquets!" Aomine called out from inside.

"I'm going with Tetsu-kun!" Momoi bounced, coming into view at the half-opened door. She saw a glimpse of the clutter of high schoolers on the outside and made a very obvious effort not to jump back in surprise, and then suspiciously looked into the room. She started trying to sneak out without drawing attention to the door when she bumped into Himuro, who had apparently gone past Kuroko and entered the room.

"Watch out there, Satsuki," Himuro said, smiling at her. "You heading out?"

Momoi blinked up at him, and then glanced at Kuroko, who stayed silent, not moving from his position to probably shield the others from being seen. Himuro followed her line of sight, eyebrow raised, and completely missed the hint. "Hey, Midorima, your team's here," he said, looking to the side and pointing towards the opening.

Everyone outside groaned, falling into the ground and slumping in defeat. They heard Midorima's outraged_ "What?"_ and Kuroko's trounced sigh as he swung the door fully open. Midorima staggered into view, still clutching his eggplant plush, eyes widening as he processed the sight of his teammates out the door.

"Heya, Shin-chan," Takao called, waving sheepishly.

Midorima promptly smacked a hand over his face, defeated. "I…suppose I should excuse myself," he announced grimly.

"No, wait," another voice from inside—Akashi—called. "Your team, is it? Then Seirin's with them?"

Momoi grimaced. "So you noticed?"

"It would be more of an enigma if I _didn't_. Invite them inside."

Kuroko stepped aside and gestured at the others. "Come on in, then," he said, looking like he was somewhat sorry for them.

"Yeah, come in, Taiga," Himuro called, stepping further into the room. "I'll introduce you."

"Ah, Tatsuya." Another voice spoke up, and this time no one recognized it. The voice didn't sound anything like Murasakibara's lazy drawl, or Aomine's low and dark speech, or Akashi's sharp and commanding tone. When the stalker group filed into the hospital room rather awkwardly, they were met with the sight of the Generation of Miracles gathered around a hospital bed, and lying on it was a dark-haired teen with sharp, steely eyes and a sleepy scowl. His torso was slightly inclined so that he wasn't laying flat on his back, and he wore a light hospital shirt and had a blanket draped over his lower body, arms lightly folded over it. His left hand was connected to an IV drip standing at the side of the bed, and a finger clip linked to a heart rate monitor pinched an index finger.

"Hey, Shuu," Himuro said, smiling sweetly at the bedbound patient. "Glad you're awake."

Nijimura nodded, a corner of his lips quirking up. "Nice to see you," he spoke, voice laced with weariness. He regarded the arrangement of highschoolers standing behind Himuro. "Who're your friends?"

"Are those snacks?" Murasakibara lit up.

"Yes, I brought them for you," Himuro said, handing the bag of snacks to the giant, who looked at him with complete gratitude and admiration. Himuro pat Murasakibara's head and then gestured to Kagami and the others. "This is Taiga. Kagami Taiga, my brother that I told you about. The people beside him are his and Kuroko's teammates from Seirin High, and the others in orange are Midorima's teammates from Shuutoku High."

Nijimura looked them over, blinking as if to wake up. He gave a small bow. "Nice to meet you. I'm Nijimura."

The stalker group all awkwardly bowed in response, murmuring "Nice to meet you"s almost incomprehensibly, effectively at a loss on what to make of their current situation.

"Oi oi, stop that," Aomine spoke up, grabbing Nijimura's hand as it started fumbling with the needle end of his IV drip.

Nijimura scowled. "Seriously, you guys have to let me go. I'm fine already."

"No, you're not," Kuroko said, and the firmness of his tone made Seirin blink at him in wonder. Midorima scooted to the other side of the bed and tugged at Nijimura's crinkled blanket, pulling it up and smoothing it out higher over his torso. To the other side, beside Aomine, Murasakibara popped open some kind of granola bar and offered it to Nijimura, who blinked, considering the bargain.

When his stomach made a rumbling growl, he relented, accepting the snack and weakly chomping on it, grumbling some kind of complaint as he chewed.

The brief exchanges had the Seirin-Shuutoku group gaping, not quite wrapping their heads around what they had just witnessed. Takao felt a pang of incredulity and awe at Midorima's open care, and Kagami was blinking in wonder at Aomine's fingers lightly brushing over Nijimura's wrist, wary of the needle connected to it.

"I'm serious though," Nijimura said, halfway done with his snack bar. "I'm fine. Stop keeping me from leaving."

"When you're leaving isn't exactly your call right now," came Akashi's piercing voice. "The doctors will decide that."

Nijimura frowned at Akashi, openly hostile. The others felt a tense air flow around the hospital bed, stiffening in disbelief at beholding someone who was directly opposing Akashi.

"I said I'm fine," Nijimura growled, his sleepy eyes getting sharper.

"You need rest," Akashi responded, curt.

"I've had that. Three days of it, apparently." Nijimura was moving to sit up higher, but Aomine put a hand on his shoulder, pressing him down.

"Hey, you shouldn't get up, senpai," Aomine said, a flustered worry in his brow. (Kagami gaped, muttering under his breath, "_Senpai?_" because he wasn't sure he heard _that_ Aomine speak in any way that resembled _polite_).

"Three days is too much," Nijimura said, giving up his struggle against Aomine's solid push. "I need to get back to work. And school."

He was staring directly at Akashi, determined, and the others were amazed at how he held eye contact with those intense mismatched eyes without flinching. Akashi squinted. "I told you," he started, voice even and firm. "We're taking care of that. The doctors have ordered that you remain hospitalized for at least a week, and that's barely even the minimum. You were in serious condition for a few days, and I don't believe you have any authority to say when you get to leave confinement. Obviously not against a doctor's word."

Nijimura's brows furrowed, and opened his mouth to argue when Akashi continued, "But," he said, raising a hand, and then gesturing to Kagami. "If any time before you're due to be released do you manage to win against Taiga in an arm wrestling match, I will personally consult the doctors and recommend your discharge."

"What," Kagami blinked.

"_What_," everyone else repeated.

Nijimura raised an eyebrow. "And how are _you_ going to convince them to discharge me?"

Akashi smiled, proud. "I believe you know the considerable influence my family has over various industries and establishments," he said. "This hospital is one such establishment, and my word can be as good as a director's, if properly supported."

"Fine." Nijimura huffed. He turned to look at Kagami, who flinched backwards. "Kagami right? Let's have a match."

"_What_," Aomine jerked. Nijimura was shifting to sit up again. "Hey, right _now?_ You just woke up!"

"I said I'm fine," Nijimura scoffed. "If I win this it'll prove it."

"W-wait, I can't—" Kagami panicked, not sure what to do.

"You're still weak and you haven't had a proper meal," Midorima added.

"You brought me those lucky items, right?" Nijimura said, gesturing to the bedside table that contained a white _maneki-neko, _a stapler, a small cactus, and the small bouquet of flowers from earlier. "Maybe I'll win by luck."

Midorima pushed up his glasses, flustered over being found out. Nijimura had already figured out how to get his bed to incline his back higher and was pulling the over-bed table towards him. Aomine seemed to give up trying to stop him and glared at Kagami instead, who was visibly panicked.

"Are you sure about this, Akashi-kun?" Kuroko said, glancing at Kagami.

"You know how he is," Akashi said, his brow only very slightly crinkled as Nijimura clenched and unclenched his fist. Akashi turned to Kagami. "Go, Taiga. He may be bedridden right now but don't go easy on him."

"But—" Kagami started, stepping back.

"That's reckless!" Riko blurt out. "I don't know what kind of sickness he's just gone through but he's obviously not in any condition to arm wrestle! And with Kagami, of all people!"

Momoi hugged Riko's arm. "You're not wrong, Riko-san, but there's no stopping any of them when they're like this," she said, grimacing.

"But—i can't possibly—" Kagami was looking at his fellow teammates, who were backing off. Even the Shuutoku guys were at a loss. "Why _me_?"

"Because you wouldn't be easy to beat," Hyuuga muttered, giving Kagami a pat on the shoulder. "I think you're supposed to win the match so that he'll stay hospitalized a day longer."

"That's right," Kuroko said. "If you win, then it's no problem."

"Tch," Nijimura spat, leaning his elbow onto the desk. "You say that like I'll easily lose."

"Hey, Bakagami," Aomine snapped. "If you hurt him I'll punch you."

Kagami groaned. "What the hell am I supposed to _do_?"

"Just win," Himuro offered, giving Kagami a push towards the bed.

Kagami turned to his brother. "Why don't _you_ go against him?"

Himuro smirked. "I'd like to say I could, but even though he's hospitalized and all, I'm not sure if I could win against him."

This made Kagami look at him in disbelief. Himuro chuckled, giving his brother another push. "He might not seem like it, but he's strong. Although if it's you, you can do it," Himuro said, and Kagami stumbled towards the foot of the bed, completely thrown.

Up close, Kagami could see how pale Nijimura was, making the circles under his eyes seem darker. Despite that, under the hood of his eyelids, he had sharp, piercing eyes with a determined set to them, and Kagami noticed how Nijimura was well built and athletic, with the smell of someone who was undoubtedly strong, and for more reasons than just sports.

Nijimura raised his forearm, fist stretched open. Kagami gulped. Normally he would welcome any challenge of strength, but this was a _hospitalized patient_ for crying out loud! Much more was that he was a friend of Tatsuya and Kuroko and the Generation of Miracles. Kagami silently cursed his impulsive curiosity and settled his elbow over the desk.

_This is what I get for snooping around_, Kagami thought grimly, glancing around. To the side, Aomine was glaring at him, looking like he was ready to pounce at any moment. Beside him, Murasakibara had actually paused his eating, staring at them. On the other side, Akashi had his arms folded over his chest, looking over them blankly, and Midorima stood next to him, trying to hide his very concerned expression under his glasses.

Kagami glimpsed at Kuroko, standing with the other Seirin people and Tatsuya, who gave him a nod. He felt cold fingers wrap around his hand, and then turned to see Nijimura's sleepy eyes light up in determination, concentrated on their hands.

"Alright," Akashi announced, formal. "On three."

Kagami swallowed. The glares he was getting from Aomine and Murasakibara made him hesitate.

"One."

But he gripped Nijimura's hand in a tight hold. He had to win this one, so that this guy could rest. He obviously needed it.

"Two."

Except he has to make sure not to hurt him, at least not anymore than he might have already been. Nijimura's been hospitalized for more than three days, if the lucky items at the table weren't indication enough. He may have a good build, and looked like he had strong arms, but he was undoubtedly weakened and tired. Plus, as confident as Kagami was in his ability to take a punch, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of Aomine's—Haizaki's cracked jaw after being just that was a pretty good warning against it.

"Three."

Their arms locked, caught in the middle of their starting position as they both pushed. They tensed, and Nijimura's brows furrowed in concentration. Slowly, Kagami's arm started bending backward, and he was caught off-guard by Nijimura's strength. Kagami set his jaw and gripped tigher, putting more of his strength in his arm. Nijimura's lead made it difficult to pull back, and Kagami started to panic when the back of his arm started getting closer to the desk.

"Oi, Kagami!" Aomine hissed, bent on the edge of his seat.

Nijimura grunted as Kagami fought back, his arm locked inches away from the table.

"_Taiga_," Himuro spoke, alarm in his voice.

"Kagami-kun…" he heard Kuroko from behind him.

Kagami grumbled, pushing against Nijimura's hand without restraint. Gradually, their arms moved, but Nijimura was steady. It seemed like they would stay stuck in that position when Kagami felt the pressure on his arm lessen, and he took that opening and drove inward. The pressure only continued to decrease as Kagami pushed further, reversing their positions until Kagami growled and surged forward, and he breathed a sigh when the back of Nijimura's hand landed on the desk, defeated.

Nijimura let out a gasp, panting lightly. His cheeks were faintly flushed, and he sat back on the bed with a sigh, closing his eyes. Kagami released his hand and breathed out in relief, and everyone else seemed to do the same.

"It's my loss," Nijimura huffed, rubbing his eyes. "You're strong."

"Ah, no, I actually thought I was going to lose for a moment there," Kagami said, scratching the back of his head.

"It's because your stamina's shot," Akashi spoke up, pulling the over-bed table away from Nijimura. "If you were anywhere near your normal self, you'd have much more stamina than Taiga, and maybe you'd have a chance. So just lie down and recover your strength."

Nijimura scowled at him, but yielded, sighing, eyes falling droopy again. "Yeah, yeah. I'll give it a shot again later."

"You mean tomorrow," Midorima offered. "Or maybe after a week."

Nijimura huffed. "Later, tomorrow, same difference. I'm not going to stay here for a week."

Akashi fixed him a look and tugged on his blanket, and Nijimura sighed at him, eyes fluttering closed.

Aomine bonked Kagami upside the head. "That was fucking close, Bakagami!"

Kagami reeled back, clutching his head. "Shut up! I didn't expect him to be that strong!"

Aomine grunted, but sat back on his chair. "Yeah, well, now you know."

Kagami sighed and walked back to his teammates, who patted him sympathetically for his misfortune of getting dragged into another mess that involved the Generation of Miracles. Kuroko gave him a nod, lips quirking up slightly, and said, "Thank you."

Kagami looked at him, then smiled, ruffling Kuroko's hair. "Yeah, anytime. I guess."

Kuroko gave him a wider smile, and then moved towards the hospital bed where Akashi was pulling up Nijimura's blanket over his stomach.

"Ah, he fell asleep," Murasakibara noted.

"Fucking _finally_," Aomine sighed, pressing a button to get the bed to sink back.

"The effects of the medication took longer than expected," Midorima quipped, setting aside the over-bed table.

The Seirin and Shuutoku group looked in wonder at the musings around the hospital bed, feeling like they were seeing something private and wasn't meant for them to see. On the bed, Nijimura had fallen alseep with more color in his cheeks than before. His striking, sharp expression softened into one of peaceful slumber, falling into a deep sleep that he undeniably needed. To one side, Akashi had smoothened out the blanket over his chest, and gently lifted Nijimura's drip-connected arm over it, letting it rest comfortably over his stomach. Aomine did the same with Nijimura's other arm, and across him, Kuroko refilled a glass of water on the bedside table. Murasakibara, already halfway through with the bag of snacks, burped and then handed the half-full bag across the bed to Midorima, who took it and placed it atop the table, in between the glass of water and clump of lucky items.

No one in the Seirin-Shuutoku group knew what to make of the very unexpected sight they beheld. Never did they imagine that they'd get to see some semblance of teamwork from the former-Teikou lineup, and yet they were very obviously cooperating with each other to care for this Nijimura Shuuzou—their former-captain. Shuutoku was very visibly surprised at Midorima's open fretfulness and worry for the senior, evident just from the lucky items sitting at the bedside table. They were also taken aback by Aomine's subdued manner, and Murasakibara's sudden generosity with his snacks—complete opposites of what they were used to seeing.

The most surprising was Akashi. Although he was stern and imposing towards everyone, even his predecessor, he seemed to treat Nijimura with an unexpected amount of care and concern. Even without knowing him all that much, they just had a sense that Akashi wasn't exactly the gentle, caring type, and that much was true from hearsay and their own experiences—though they were clearly seeing a different side to him there.

"Tetsuya," Akashi spoke, straightening up. "You were supposed to go with Satsuki to Ryouta before the others came in, yes?"

Kuroko blinked at him. "Yes, that's right."

"Go ahead, and take Shintarou, Daiki and Atsushi with you." Akashi regarded the three. "You haven't eaten proper dinners yet, so go together to where Ryouta is. I'll be the one to stay here."

"But—"

"_Go_," Akashi said, sharper. "I've already taken dinner. I'll take responsibility for tiring Nijimura-san out."

Kagami was about to point out that _he_ was the one who did that, but Akashi gave him a pointed look, and he promptly shut his mouth.

"Give Ryouta an update as well," Akashi continued. "I imagine he'd be very anxious to hear about what's happened around here."

Aomine snorted, standing up. "No doubt about it," he said, then smirked. "Well it was his fault for losing against me."

"One-on-one?" Himuro mused.

"Rock-paper-scissors," Aomine looked _very_ proud about it.

Himuro chuckled, and Murasakibara went up to his side. "Come with us too, Muro-chin," he said, holding onto Himuro's arm.

Himuro was about to protest when his stomach growled. "Right. Okay, I guess I'll go with you guys. Might as well help Kise out."

"Help Kise out with what?" Kagami asked.

Aomine smirked, shrugging on his jacket and ushering the bumbling group of high schoolers towards the door. "With his '_job'._"

"Job…?"

"Do you want anything?" Midorima asked Akashi, who shook his head, a small smile on his lips.

"No, I'm fine. Go. Take your team with you. I can hear their stomachs from over here. It's the least you can do in exchange for their concern."

Midorima looked flustered, and then followed after his team, nodding at them. "Let's have dinner," he said.

"Eh? Will it be _your treat_, Shin-chan?" Takao perked up, grinning.

"That depends," Midorima muttered, hiding under his glasses. The other seniors laughed, ruffling his hair, and the group bowed slightly at Akashi and Nijimura before leaving the room.

Kuroko lagged behind, and then nodded at Akashi. "Get some rest too, Akashi-kun."

Akashi waved him away, smiling.

Once outside, the group seemed to have been released from the tense atmosphere of the hospital room. They walked together silently, and they had reached the line of elevators when Kiyoshi piped up.

"Well _that_ was fun," he said, bouncing. "And kind of exciting, don't you think?"

"No." Kagami grumbled, ducking his head.

Kiyoshi merely laughed and fluffed his hair.

"Where exactly are we all having dinner at?" Takao chimed in, turning to Midorima and Momoi.

"It's a restaurant nearby," Momoi answered, smiling.

"Kise's working there?" Kagami asked.

"Well sort of," Aomine said, scratching the back of his head. "It's kind of hard to explain."

"Well, now you have time to explain," Kagami said. "There's still too much I'm confused about here."

The others nodded. There wasn't exactly a significant decrease in their questions and mysteries. All that was answered was who the rainbow gang was visiting, and none of why Kuroko skipped practice or why Midorima left early, or even why Nijimura's been hospitalized for so long. And now there was the question of Kise missing from the group apparently in the middle of a 'job', and then there was Kagami's stomach, which was gurgling up some feral sounds as he walked.

"But first, let's eat," he announced, clutching at his stomach. He looked at Kuroko. "Explain everything then."

It would have been a serious command if it weren't for Kagami's stomach sounding like it was trying to communicate with monsters. Kagami flushed as the others laughed, and despite everything, they felt lighter.

Kuroko smiled, nodding at his partner. "Of course."

* * *

**A/N: **Himuro's mention of knowing Nijimura after meeting him in LA is a reference to Hirabayashi and Fujimaki's Replace V, where Nijimura moved to LA after graduating from Teikou to join his family there while his father was being treated. Along the way, Nijimura somehow got himself involved in a kidnapping, where he meets Himuro. They promptly became buddies after succeeding in a rescue mission together (yes apparently this happened I shit u not), and they both gave each other nicknames: "Shuu" and "Tatsuya." I just fiddled with the moving bit, so Nijimura's back in Japan to get hospitalized and doted on by his rainbow kouhai :)

Also, thank you to those who reviewed the previous chapters! I will try to update as regularly as possible. Stay tuned! Reviews are always appreciated :)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Thank you for all those who reviewed the previous chapters! 3 Here's chapter 4, where the boys will start answering those mysteries from earlier.

** kuroshiro.19:** Yes they are such bros with their former-captain. And we'll seeeee =3=

** Fiammie: **Thank you so much for the lovely review! It's exactly like you said-he took care of them when they were still middle school babies so they are still bbs towards him 3 Which is definitely new for everyone else haha. And don't worry! This chapter and the next couple of chapters will delve into exactly what happened with Nijimura and the GoM. Stay tuned!

* * *

Kise was someone who had a lot to be proud of, but one thing in particular that he personally took special pride in was his stamina. Back in his middle school days, Kise had pretty good endurance to get him through numerous sports until he found basketball, and once there, the Spartan training he and his teammates had to go through upgraded their level of stamina to last them a whole tournament season, and then some. Because of his ability to copy moves and his Perfect Copy, Kise had also learned to efficiently conserve energy and survive rigorous physical activity and effectively last longer than most people, even Aominecchi.

There was no doubt that Kise was one who could endure long bouts of mental and physical work, and he was fully open to welcoming Seirin and Shuutoku into the restaurant he was working in as they entered, but when he spotted Kagami entering behind them, he had to put his foot down right there.

"No," Kise snapped, blocking Kagami from entering. "You _will not_ eat here."

Kagami frowned at him. "Why not? I'm coming in as a customer."

"You mean food vacuum," Kise grumbled, fists on his waist.

An arm suddenly went around Kise's shoulders, making him stagger. "Hey, one Kagami is equal to a whole team. That's really good business, right?"

"Aominecchi!" Kise exclaimed, and then tried to elbow Aomine's face. "You unfair little—"

"Whoa!" Aomine ducked under Kise's arm, and then smirked at Kise's scowl. "Hey, I won our game of rock-paper-scissors fair and square. And that was _after_ you lost to me on our one-on-one. I am _super_ fair."

Kise huffed, straightening himself up. He looked like he was about to smack Aomine for good measure when a voice called out, "Oi, Kise! We need refills over here!"

"Ohh!? Kasamatsu-san!" Takao jumped, head popping out from behind his teammates.

"Ah, it's Kaijo!" Hyuuga pointed.

"Oh, Seirin and—_Shuutoku_?" Kasamatsu Yukio, seated on a table, exclaimed.

Everyone turned to find Kaijo High's regulars having dinner together at a table to the side, apparently with Kise serving as their waiter. Takao bounced towards Kasamatsu, clearly delighted to see him.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

"Kise told us he was working part-time at a restaurant," Kasamatsu answered. "So we're paying him a visit."

"Are you all here for Kise too?" Moriyama asked, squinting.

"We're here for food," Kagami announced, clutching at his stomach.

"How did you somehow end up together?" Kasamatsu quipped, noticing Midorima, Murasakibara, Himuro, and Aomine.

"It's…complicated," Takao chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "We and the Seirin guys sort of got together to stalk fellow teammates. And one thing led to another and we ran into these guys."

"Stalk…?"

"It's a long story," Miyaji said, raising a hand. "We can talk about it while we eat."

"Why don't you guys sit down," Kise grumbled at the group—or more like Kagami. He stuck out his tongue when Aomine passed by him, and then glared at Kagami as they sat at a table beside Kaijo's, grumpily refilling his teammates' drinks. Takao positioned himself nearest to the aisle next to Kasamatsu, and Midorima sat across him. Seirin's group occupied the rest of the table, flanked by Shuutoku's table and another table with Aomine, Momoi, Murasakibara and Himuro. Kise took a moment to process the amount of work he was looking at, and then gave up after a few seconds.

"Ohh? More friends of yours, Kise?" an elderly man chimed in, suddenly appearing beside Kise. The group looked up to see a pot-bellied old man wearing an apron, one hand armed with a very sharp-looking knife.

"Yeah, boss," Kise said, smiling crookedly. He gave Kagami a solid pat on the back. "You'll love _this_ guy. He's gonna tire us out tonight."

"Hmm? Really?" the old man said, beaming at Kagami. "Big appetite, eh? We'll make sure you're filled up, no problem!"

Kagami grinned, his eyes lighting up. "I'm looking forward to it."

The old man smacked him on the back. "Good lad!" he bellowed, and then looked at the gathering of large high schoolers. "Looks like it's good business tonight!"

The group laughed as Kise handed them the menus. The old man passed out a few when he noticed Aomine, and surprisingly went to ruffle his hair.

"Ohh, Aomine!" the old man boomed. "Seems like you got off lucky tonight!"

Aomine smirked, ducking away from his hand. "Yeah, Kise sucks at winning."

A menu crashed down Aomine's head. "Oh, sorry," Kise spoke, pulling back the menu in his hand. "Your head was so big, the menu got caught up in it."

Aomine punched Kise's side, making him gurgle. Kise smacked the menu over Aomine's head again, and they all but started beating each other up when the old man laughed, loud, grabbing both Aomine's and Kise's heads and bonking them together, the impact making a very audible _THUD _that sounded rather painful.

"Gah!" Kise reeled back, clutching his head.

"Fucking _hell—_" Aomine cursed, similarly ducking under his arms.

The old man turned to the group of highschoolers, smiling triumphantly. "I've discovered that this is the most effective way to cease their endless bickering," he lectured, and the basketball teams nodded. "Hard-headedness is useful when used together."

The others laughed again, and Momoi patted Aomine's head sympathetically. The old man pushed Kise to take their orders, and he grudgingly complied. When it got to Kagami's turn, Kise had started trying to negotiate a less abundant selection of meals, and the old man gave him another one of those shuddering smacks to the back as he made Kise take every order Kagami made—which more or less comprised of at least half of the menu. After taking up more than four sheets of paper, Kise rattled off their orders, and then grunted in defeat as he started for the kitchen, rubbing his throbbing head.

"You know the chef, Aomine?" Kagami asked, trying to distract himself from his grumbling stomach.

"Huh? Yeah, he's also the boss here," Aomine replied, arms still curled up around his head.

"How do you know him?" Kagami pressed.

"Why did you say Kise's 'sort of' working here?" Takao joined in.

"My head hurts," Aomine simply grumbled, poking at a bump that was probably swelling on his head. "I don't want to answer your questions."

"It's related to Nijimura-san," Kuroko offered.

"Are you talking about Nijimura-senpai?" Kise suddenly appeared, and the others gaped in amazement at the collection of food atop large trays that he was balancing rather masterfully on his arms.

"Holy crap, that looks delicious," Kagami breathed, drooling.

"Aw yeah, I'm _finally _gonna be able to _eat_ this stuff," Aomine sat up, eyes sparkling.

"As if you haven't sampled every meal you were supposed to be _serving_," Kise huffed, setting the meals down. Aomine simply grinned at him and picked up his chopsticks.

"What do you mean by that?" Kagami poked, peering very excitedly at the meals Kise was distributing.

"Eh? They didn't tell you yet? Aominecchi and I both work part-time here," Kise said, and then scoffed. "But today he got off lucky on our shift."

"_What_?"

"This is what we meant by things being complicated," Midorima grumbled.

Kise had somehow disappeared and then came back with a new set of meals, going rounds along the tables and dispersing the food at an impressively efficient manner. The others somewhat applauded, and consequently started feasting.

"I'll be back again with the rest of your offerings," Kise groused at Kagami, who proceeded to stuff his face with very open appreciation.

It wasn't long before the large assortment of basketball players leaned back in contentment at finishing their dinners. Some ordered light desserts, and the others settled for extra drinks, while Kagami was still in the middle of his gorging the last of his meals, and Murasakibara was going through some gigantic dessert mountain. Kise had retreated to the counter to make sense of the bills and how they were split up, dragging Midorima with him to help out with the math.

"So," Takao piped up, picking his teeth with a toothpick. "Let's hear the story."

Kuroko looked thoughtful. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Kagami mumbled, mouth occupied with various slices of meat.

Hyuuga smacked him. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

"I suppose I have to start from the top," Kuroko said.

"If you have to," Riko remarked. "Just don't take too long."

Kuroko gave a small smile. "It's not that long, really. Nijimura-san was hospitalized four days ago, starting Saturday—"

"_Why?_" Kiyoshi blurted, visibly concerned. "What happened to him?"

"I guess you could say this restaurant was one of the reasons he got hospitalized," Kuroko answered. To the side, Aomine, Murasakibara, and Momoi looked downcast, going quiet.

Just then, Kise and Midorima returned, looking harassed and disoriented. Midorima sank down into his seat across Takao, and Kise pulled a chair from a vacant table to sit in the middle of Seirin and Kaijo's tables, plopping down on it with a tired sigh.

"You okay?" Kasamatsu patted Kise's head.

"Yeah, just fine," Kise mumbled, leaning back. "I finally got a break. Are you still talking about Nijimura-senpai?"

"Yes," Kuroko said.

Kise huffed. "How is he? I heard he woke up."

"He's okay," Aomine replied. "He tried to leave as soon as the doctors left."

Kise chuckled at that, looking lighter. "Just like Akashicchi said. He's the one looking after him right now, right?"

"Yes," Midorima nodded. "He switched with Murasakibara."

"What exactly happened?" Kagami butt in, down to his last two meals. "Is he really okay?"

"Supposedly," Kuroko answered. "The doctors said if he stays in the hospital for at least a week or so, he should be able recover fully if nothing comes up."

"You see," Momoi chimed in, regarding the group. "Nijimura-san is the one who actually works here."

"Here? In this restaurant?"

"Yes," she bit her lip. "He also has two other jobs."

"_What_?" Kagami exclaimed. "You mean he has _three_ part-time jobs?"

Momoi nodded, grave. The Generation of Miracles and Kuroko were quiet.

"Nijimura-san is the eldest of his family," Kuroko spoke. "And he's the one supporting them. So aside from school, he's juggling three jobs, being a waiter at this restaurant included."

The others seemed to take it bit by bit, processing what they had just heard, and already finding Nijimura's position incredibly daunting.

"Damn," Kasamatsu breathed, slumping back on his chair. "That's gotta be hard."

"I already have a hard enough time with the _school _part," Hyuuga said. "I can't imagine juggling not just two, but _three_ jobs on top of that."

Kise nodded, looking down. "Yeah. When we found out he was hospitalized, we decided to help however we could."

"How _did _you find out?" Riko questioned.

"Akashicchi's family partially owns the hospital, and he instructed the people there to tell him if ever a 'Nijimura' gets hospitalized."

Kagami raised an eyebrow. "Why? Sounds creepy."

"Nah, it's nothing like that," Kise waved his hand. "Nijimura-senpai's father was once hospitalized there, but he got better after a while and was discharged. Akashicchi wanted to be informed if he did get hospitalized again, so that he'll get proper attention and treatment. It just so happened that this time it was a different Nijimura that got hospitalized. It was worse."

The tables were silent, a grim air settling around them.

"But hey, he's alright now!" Kise said, perking up. "We'll just keep up the work until he gets better!"

"So you're filling in for his jobs while he's hospitalized?" Kasamatsu said, looking like he was proud of Kise.

"Yeah," Kise answered, smiling more happily now. "Aominecchi and I are filling in for him in this restaurant, while Kurokocchi and Midorimacchi take shifts at a fitness center."

"Fitness center?" Takao cocked his head to one side.

"Nijimura-san's other job is at a fitness center," Kuroko said. "He takes appointments for physical training and sometimes mans the front desk."

"Is _that_ where you've been going during practice?" Hyuuga asked him.

Kuroko nodded. "Yes. Nijimura-san has scheduled appointments during practice hours so I had to skip basketball practice to attend to them. I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright," Riko spoke. "It's a valid reason. We understand."

Kuroko blinked at her, somewhat surprised, and then smiled. "Thank you."

"Then what does Midorima do there?" Miyaji inquired.

"We take turns with the appointment hours," Kuroko said. "Since sometimes there's more than one appointment a day."

"How do you decide who takes what?" Takao said, eyebrow raised in suspicion. "I don't expect that you'd volunteer to take the shifts during practice hours."

Kuroko answered determinedly. "Rock-paper-scissors."

At that, Takao burst out laughing, patting Kuroko on the back repeatedly. "I know how you feel, man!" he sniffled in between laughs. "I've _never_ won against Shin-chan at that!"

Kuroko grimaced, but looked determined. "Someday," he declared.

Takao laughed again. "Tell me when that someday comes. I'll treat you to a drink when it does."

Kuroko smiled. "I'll hold you to that, then."

The two freshmen shook on it, forming a new bond of kinship against Midorima's rock-paper-scissors prowess. Midorima scowled at them, pushing up his glasses and hugging his eggplant closer. The restaurant boss then came back with the bills in one hand and a bowl of noodles in another. He handed the bills to the captains of each table, and gave Kise the bowl of noodles.

"Here's a treat for your hard work," the boss said, beaming at Kise. "Specially made for you!"

Kise looked like he wanted to cry. "I love you."

The boss cackled and gave him a heavy pat on the back, then ruffled Aomine's hair, sitting at a chair between the tables.

"So," he said, leaning back. "How's Nijimura?"

"He's getting better," Aomine grunted, rubbing his hair. "He keeps trying to leave and get back to work."

Boss frowned, eyebrows scrunching. "That Nijimura's always such a hard worker. Tell him that there's no problem if he takes his time to recover. He's got good kouhai helping him out, so he has to come back fully healed."

Kise smiled. "Thanks boss."

"You can go ahead and visit him, Kise. Since Wakana's offered to take Nijimura's shift tonight, you can leave early. Oh, tell him that some regular customers of his have left extra tips just for him," the boss grinned, standing to return to the kitchen. "They're worried and want to see their favorite waiter again."

Kise chuckled. "I will, thank you."

"Nijimura-san seems like a nice guy," Takao smiled.

"He's a stubborn guy, that's what he is," Aomine huffed. "Akashi too."

"Speak for yourself, Aomine-kun," Kuroko sighed.

"I was surprised by Akashi, though," Hyuuga said. "I didn't think he would compromise like that."

"Out of all of us, Akashi knows Nijimura-san best," Midorima pondered. "The deal he proposed is the best possible agreement in this situation. Nijimura-san is stubborn, but he's smart and sensible, so he obviously knows that he's not strong enough yet. He's just too responsible for his own good."

"But why me," Kagami groaned.

Midorima shrugged. "Akashi probably expected you to visit at some point. Since you don't personally know Nijimura-san or the details of his hospitalization, there's less risk of you losing in a match as compared to us going against him."

"A match? What match?" Kise was looking around in confusion.

"So keep it up for at least a week, Taiga!" Himuro yelled.

"_Why,_" Kagami groaned again, finally setting down his chopsticks. "Aren't you concerned? You just said that since you guys know why he was hospitalized, you won't win if you wrestled with him."

"_Wrestle?_" Kise's eyes went wide.

"_Arm_ wrestle," Kuroko poked him.

"Hey," Aomine growled at Kagami, rising from his seat. "We _are_ concerned. I know your team has some kind of history with hospitalizations and shit but this is _different. _He almost fucking _died_ and he's treating it like it's nothing, and I hate the fact that we're leaving it to _you _of all people to keep him from ending up like that again."

"A-Aominecchi…" Kise muttered, hand tentatively raised as if to reach out to him.

Aomine let out a ragged sigh. "But if even Akashi resorted to something like this shit, then it's your responsibility, you got it? You can complain to us all you want about owing you _after_wards, but you better as hell _do your job_ because we're trusting you with it."

He gave another huff, and then skulked away from the table, grabbing the back of Kise's collar. "Oi Kise," he grumbled. "You wanted to visit him right? Let's go."

"A-ah? Eh? What?" Kise stammered, flailing at getting dragged backwards. "Wait—ack—_Aominecchi!"_

"H-hey! Dai-chan! Wait!" Momoi spluttered, clambering from her seat. She rushed to follow but paused to bow. "Sorry Kagamin!" she grimaced. "I know he's being a _jerk_ but that was his way of saying 'please'. And he's always a total buttface about it, but he actually really cares, he just doesn't know any decent way of being honest. Sorry!"

She gave another bow and rushed to follow the two out, Kise's disoriented wails fading as they left the restaurant. The remaining people gaped at the wake of their departure and at what Aomine and Momoi said, and Kagami blinked before groaning again.

"What the hell," he exhaled.

"Sorry, Kagami-kun," Kuroko said. "You're probably confused as to what to feel about what they said."

"Sure as hell am," Kagami grumbled, looking down. "What did he mean by Nijimura-san almost dying?" he asked, a strain in his voice.

Kuroko's eyes shifted. "He was exaggerating a bit."

"But it could have happened," Midorima said glumly, his lips drawn in a thin line.

"Tell me about it," Kagami said, expression grave and serious.

"But—"

"Hey, it's in the past, right?" Kagami pushed. "And you guys are putting _me_ through this so at least let me know."

"I'd also like to hear about it," Takao said, nodding at Midorima. "If that's alright."

Midorima averted his gaze, hiding his eyes under his glasses. "It's not like I really care if you know."

Takao and the other Shuutoku regulars just laughed, ruffling his hair.

"Same here," Kasamatsu spoke. "Anyone who Kise and the Generation of Miracles is fussing over is someone I'd like to hear about."

"Yeah, me too," Kiyoshi smiled.

Beside him, Hyuuga snorted. "I can actually relate to Aomine," he griped, flicking a pointed glare at Kiyoshi. "So I want to help out with hospital idiots like him."

Kuroko gave a small smile, feeling a warmth bloom in his chest. "Alright. Thank you."

"Yeah," Kagami said, smirking. "But before you tell us, let me order some more food."

Kuroko sighed.

* * *

_Four days ago, Saturday_

_It was a peculiar thing, Nijimura thought, to stay up at night long enough to see the sun peeking through your curtains. There was a solace in the silence of 'today' quietly and seamlessly blending into 'tomorrow', making 'today' turn into 'yesterday', and 'tomorrow' take its place as 'today'. Yesterday didn't seem so far off, and time didn't feel like a flowing line that you followed. The past felt like so long ago and yet just a while ago, and tomorrow was just a sliver of light away. When it grazed his hand, Nijimura paused his work to watch the sunlight trying to crawl into his room, seeping from under the curtain and poking warmth wherever it reached._

_He didn't realize that he forgot to sleep that night. At least he had finished all his schoolwork for the next week, and had completed most of his advance study notes to give him some free time during the weekdays. He set his pen down and quietly stood up, slowly blinking as he felt a strange weight settling over his body—something he's been experiencing more often recently, but started learning to get used to. Nijimura rolled his shoulders and shrugged it off, going to the kitchen to put together some meals for his siblings, and grabbing some granola bars for a quick breakfast. He packed his bag as he ate—in a couple of hours, he had work at the dojo, and after that, he had at least four hours before his restaurant shift: he could catch up on sleep then._

_He felt his eyes trying to lose focus as he walked out, and decided to jog lightly the rest of the way to work, at least to get his body energized. He greeted his seniors and fellow instructors upon entering the dojo, and some of the students started filing in by the time he went back out after changing._

_Nijimura was put in charge of some of older elementary school and middle school kids, and he was going around as usual correcting stances and movements when he felt his chest throb. He winced, breathing deep, and forced himself to exhale it out. It had happened a few times in the past month, and he supposed he should get that checked out, but it always slipped his mind. He made a mental note to visit the school infirmary on Monday. _

_"You alright, Nijimura?" his partner instructor asked, forehead creased with worry. "You're looking a little pale there."_

_"I'm good," Nijimura said, pulling on a small smile. "I was up late studying is all."_

_"Always so diligent," the man smirked. "We'll go into some sparring rounds later, so get your brats ready."_

_Nijimura waved a hand. "Don't worry about them, they'll beat your side no sweat."_

_The instructor barked a laugh and ruffled Nijimura's hair, lighting up at the challenge. "Hey, you may have that intense Spartan training you picked up from middle school, but my brats are tough."_

_"We'll see," Nijimura grinned._

_"Alright, time for a break!" the head instructor called. "Ten minutes! We'll do some sparring afterwards!"_

_Training slowed to a stop, and Nijimura's partner instructor dropped onto a bench by the wall as the students shuffled to their packs to drink. Nijimura gave another huff, his head somehow feeling light. The lack of sleep was probably getting to him, he thought. He pinched the bridge of his nose while breathing deeply, eyes closed, feeling a muted throbbing at his chest crawling up to his head. When he opened his eyes, things seemed brighter and more faded, but he grunted and bent to pick up his water bottle._

_His vision blurred again, and his breathing hitched somewhat. He dropped on a knee without really thinking, and felt the cold touch of his water bottle and focused on that. He faintly heard someone to the side talking to him, and he truly wanted to understand what that person was saying, but it all sounded muffled and he felt like he couldn't breathe—_

_"Nijimura? Did you hear what I said?" his partner instructor glanced at him from the seat. "Hey, are you really alright?"_

_Nijimura wanted to reply, but he was trying to figure out what to clear up first—his vision, his head, his breathing—it felt like everything was throbbing and that his lungs had closed up—_

_"Nijimura? _O-oi!Niji—_!"_

_And he felt the world shift, and vaguely registered that he was lying on the ground. He thought of trying to get up, but something heavy settled over him, and he couldn't feel his arms—just the faint chill of his water bottle's moist. And he forgot about his ragged breathing when everything went black, and his eyes fluttered shut, welcoming the darkness that came with it._

[tbc]

* * *

**A/N: **The flashback continues in the next couple of chapters! Stay tuned! Reviews are always appreciated 3


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **More flashback! Also, thank you to those who reviewed!

To **Ku lassa: **Thank you! The part with Himuro and Nijimura was written in Replace V, a light novel series for KnB. It's not in the manga, but the author/artist of KnB illustrated it, so you could say it's canon. Kind of like an omake :)

** AspergianStoryteller: **Exactlyyy it's definitely a real danger and a troublesome issue, and I'll be touching on that in the following chapters soon.

** Fiammie: **Yess we'll see more of that in the next couple of chapters, and also some of Nijimura's stubbornness haha. The miracle bbs still pretty much regard him the same way they did back when they were in Teikou, so it's nice to bring back that side of them in the present time.

* * *

_Saturday_

_Akashi was never the superstitious type—no, that was Shintarou's particular foible—but there was something quite ominous in the way one of his teacups cracked and fell apart at the handle. The subsequent ringing of his phone a second later had him raising an eyebrow, and he set aside the broken ceramic to answer the call—it was from one of their branch hospitals in Tokyo._

_"A-Akashi-sama?" a tentative voice came. "We understand that you have requested that we inform you of a specific patient to be admitted here—"_

_Akashi squinted at his shattered teacup. Tokyo was where Tetsuya, Shintarou, and Daiki stayed. Or maybe Nijimura-san's father—_

_"—so I've called to inform you of a Nijimura Shuuzou that was brought into the emergency room roughly…thirty-five minutes ago."_

_He stilled, his grip on the phone tight. "Could you repeat that? The name of the patient."_

_"N-Nijimura Shuuzou."_

_Akashi tensed, his voice going sharp as he muffled the urgency he started feeling. "What happened? What is his condition?"_

_An audible gulp could be heard from the other end. "He apparently collapsed during work and was rushed to the ER. He's running a high fever and is having difficulty breathing, so we've put him on a respirator. We still don't have full details on his condition so we'll be running some tests first before getting the final diagnosis."_

_Akashi was mentally putting together the scarce bits of information he was told and ran a list of the possible conclusions that could be drawn. He shut his eyes and gathered his thoughts—he can't be certain of anything until he hears from the doctors themselves. As of the moment, only one thing needed to be assured of. "Is there any danger to his life?"_

_The caller hesitated. "H-he's in serious condition but we're bringing in our best nurses and doctors as you previously requested—"_

_"_Is there any danger to his life?_" Akashi repeated. _

_"N-no. No. He'll make it. We'll make sure of it."_

_Akashi released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Good. Contact me if anything comes up. I will be there as soon as possible."_

_"Y-you'll _what_—"_

_Akashi ended the call and immediately dialed another number, keeping the phone to his ear as he moved to the wall phone and pressed a finger over the call button._

_"Seijuurou-sama?" a man's voice spoke._

_"I need a ride to Tokyo," Akashi simply announced._

_"Understood. The car will be waiting at the front gate."_

_"Thank you."_

_On his cellphone, the receiver picked up, and a low voice answered. "Akashi?"_

_"Shintarou," Akashi said, pulling on a coat as he headed to the door. "I need you to pay a visit to the hospital."_

_A pause. "What happened?"_

_"It's Nijimura-senpai,"Akashi answered._

_"Nijimura—not his _father_?"_

_"No. He was rushed to the emergency room after collapsing at work. I'll explain the details later. It'll be at least an hour before I get there." Akashi found his car humming at the front gate, and nodded to the driver as he went in._

_"Alright," Shintarou said, swallowing. Akashi could hear the rustle of clothes on the other end. "I'll be there in a few minutes. I'll tell the others, too."_

_"Please do. I'll inform Atsushi. I will also tell the staff that you're coming."_

_ "Okay. I'll see you."_

_After he had swiftly called all he needed to call, Akashi settled against the cushion of the seats, leaning his head back and exhaling. Something heavy seemed to have seeped under his skin, and he was only vaguely aware of a growing dread weighting over him, making his body tense with anticipation. He had hoped he wouldn't hear anything come up with Nijimura-san's father, but he had prepared for it just in case. He just didn't expect it to have actually been _Nijimura-san _instead of his father, and not in the way that he came in._

_The ride was far too long, so Akashi busied himself with more calls, and by the time they were rounding the corner to the hospital, he had already gathered enough information to more or less understand Nijimura's situation, and stubbornly narrowed out a list of diagnoses from what he'd put together. He was ushered and filled in on details he already knew—Nijimura had collapsed unconscious at the karate dojo he was working as an assistant instructor in, and was brought to the emergency room while under a high fever and difficulty breathing. Fatigue seemed to be the primary suspect of his collapse, and he had apparently continued overworking himself for consecutive days without paying attention to a growing illness. The test results were incomplete, but they had hooked him up to an IV drip and respirator and kept his condition from getting worse, although he wasn't out of the woods just yet._

_Akashi felt a tinge of anger at Nijimura-san's lack of a sense of self-preservation, thinking about how he filled in for his co-workers and put out extra time to train his karate students and supported his family practically all on his own. Akashi let out an exasperated sigh and made a mental note to bring it up with Nijimura-san later. But first: he has to recover._

_At the waiting room, Shintarou, Tetsuya, and Daiki had gathered, and all looked up as he approached, worry creasing their brows. There was small relief upon seeing their faces, and Akashi had half a mind to sit beside them but thought against it—he felt like he may crumple at the seat under the weight that had settled over him. Instead, he remained standing, and regarded them all with a nod. _

_"The doctor says its pneumonia," Shintarou spoke, tone grave and strained. "And fatigue."_

_Akashi briefly closed his eyes. Pneumonia. It was one of his top guesses, and one he had hoped wouldn't be the case. "What's his current status?"_

_"Stable, but still not well enough. They say it's actually lucky he collapsed," Shintarou grimaced. "Or else it might have been too late."_

_The dread that was barely hanging over Akashi felt like it had dropped right there, and it was the heaviest feeling, realizing that he had been so close to—to _losing_ someone, and almost as abruptly as the call that had brought him there._

_To one side, Daiki was bent down on his seat, elbows resting on his knees, fingers entwined together so tight that his fingertips were white. Tetsuya stood nearby, and looked at Akashi with solemn eyes, quiet. Akashi moved to stand beside him, closest to the door of Nijimura-san's hospital, and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited. Ryouta appeared not long after, and both Akashi and Shintarou explained the situation to him. He understood immediately, and huffed out a breath as he sat beside Daiki in a slouch, covering his eyes with his forearm. And it was the first time since Akashi came that Daiki had moved when he put an arm around Ryouta's shoulders—but for whose comfort exactly, Akashi wasn't sure._

_The sliding of the door snapped them all out of their stillness, alert. Two nurses and a doctor stepped out, and bowed slightly when they saw Akashi. _

_"How is he?" Daiki was first to speak._

_"He's still running a high fever, but we've given him some medication," the doctor said. "We've also given him some sedatives since we've put him on a respirator, and so that the pain in his chest eases a little bit. It looks like he's been in bad condition for a while, but right now it all depends on how strong he is for him to recover."_

_Daiki gritted his teeth, Shintarou clenched his fists, and both Tetsuya and Ryouta just stared. Akashi gave a stiff nod, and a beat passed before he spoke, "Can we see him?"_

_The doctor flinched under Akashi's gaze, pursing his lips. "I'm afraid not. He's different kinds of contagious right now, and he's asleep—probably will be for a few hours—so I think it's better to visit when he's better, and safer."_

_Akashi nodded again, slowly, and fought the urge to argue. "Alright. Thank you, doctor. Please inform me if there are any developments."_

_The doctor let out a breath, and then pulled his expression into an accommodating smile. "Will do, Akashi-san. If you'll excuse me, then…"_

_He gave a rather confused bow and left, nurses shuffling behind him and bowing to Akashi agitatedly. When their footsteps faded into the elevators, Akashi moved towards Nijimura-san's door. _

_Shintarou pushed up his glasses. "The doctor just said—" _

_"I know," Akashi said, and he sounded stronger than he felt. "I'm just taking a look."_

_He leaned against the door and peered through a small gap he pulled open. Inside, lying slightly inclined on the hospital bed, Nijimura-san slept, a faint knot on his brow as he breathed through a respirator mask, chest rising and falling more heavily than normal. He was pale, and despite his muscular build, he looked limp and weak, especially with an IV drip attached to his left hand. Akashi watched the rise and fall of his chest for a few more beats before pulling away and shutting the door. He closed his eyes and sighed, and then turned to look at his companions, all of them looking stressed and tense with anxiety. Akashi hoped he didn't look as worn out as he felt, and straightened his back to regard his former teammates._

_"You heard what the doctor said," he announced. "We can visit again tomorrow. For now, we have to do what we can."_

_"What do you mean?" Ryouta said, eyes ragged around the edges. _

_"I'm sure you heard—that Nijimura-san collapsed during one of his part-time jobs," Akashi stated. "He has a total of three part-time jobs, so we'll have to do something about that while he's hospitalized."_

_"_Three?_" Ryouta exclaimed. _

_"What the hell," Daiki muttered. "That dumbass."_

_"I share the same sentiments," Akashi said, finding Daiki's remark rather appropriate, despite everything. "But in any case, he has a shift at a nearby restaurant in a few hours. I'll go there and sort things out."_

_"I'm going with you," Shintarou said, straightening up. _

_"Me too," Daiki stood up._

_"You said _three_ jobs right? Then we'll need as much people as possible," Ryouta let out a sigh._

_Akashi stared at them, then felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to find Tetsuya looking straight at him, with that unwavering gaze that shined with a kind determination that didn't take no for an answer. "We'll all go."_

_Akashi thought of arguing, but rather felt more relieved. He gave a nod, glancing at Nijimura-san's door, and then turned, the others following behind him. _

_They ran into Atsushi and his teammate—Himuro Tatsuya—at the entrance to the hospital. Himuro was apparently a friend to Nijimura-san, having met sometime after middle school in Los Angeles. Akashi nodded at him, remembering how Nijimura-san had moved to LA briefly because of his father's treatment there. They told them what they knew, and Akashi explained the details of Nijimura-san's situation—that he had three part-time jobs: after school hours at a fitness center serving as a personal trainer and occasional front desk receptionist, a night shift at a restaurant nearby, and an assistant karate instructor on weekends. At the same time, he was a second year high school student, and took care of his younger siblings while his father was getting treatment abroad._

_They had heard it already, but they still grimaced at the weight of all of Nijimura's burdens. They tackled the restaurant first, explaining the situation to the boss, who was fortunately accommodating enough to understand. Ryouta volunteered himself to fill in for Nijimura-san, which the boss wasn't too keen on—though when Ryouta displayed his copying abilities, he changed his mind shortly. Daiki stepped up and volunteered himself for the job as well, explaining that he lived closer, and would rather be able to get to the hospital if anything came up, while still having either him or Kise to do the job. Akashi was taken by the logic in Daiki's decision and pushed for it, giving his own arguments that left more benefit to the restaurant than disadvantages, and had the boss agreeing fully in no time._

_Tetsuya and Shintarou had a match of rock-paper-scissors to determine the appointments they'd fill in for at the fitness center, arguing against Akashi that Kyoto was too far away for him to take any of Nijimura-san's jobs. Shintarou emerged as the victor in taking the hours that didn't overlap with basketball practice, and they went through a crash course and tour of the center, the managers somehow unable to fight back against Akashi's persuasion. _

_The group had argued over who would watch over Nijimura, and when. Himuro and Atsushi asserted their concerns over that issue, and Akashi did not accept any opposition against doing the same. They managed to come up with some form of shift schedule for the task, and both Himuro and Akashi agreed to handle the school-related bits that Nijimura will likely miss. _

_They ended up returning to the hospital after the sun had set, getting word that Nijimura was stabilizing and breathing more normally, albeit still running a high fever. Momoi showed up then, and told them that she'd gone to Nijimura-san's place and worked things out with his siblings. They had another debate on who would stay at the hospital for the night, and Himuro asserted his seniority, but neither Daiki nor Akashi let up, and luckily Akashi's influence (and probably his piercing glare) had allowed for it to happen that the three of them would stay._

_They had settled into the hospital room after taking a light dinner, and Shintarou and Ryouta tiredly left, making promises to visit again as soon as they could. Tetsuya lagged behind them, and fixed both Akashi and Daiki a look, regarding them with a firm yet gentle stare. _

_"Get some rest, Aomine-kun, Akashi-kun."_

_Akashi noticed Daiki's eyes soften, and they both nodded. "You too."_

_Tetsuya slowly nodded, bowing slightly to Himuro. "You too, Himuro-san."_

_Himuro smiled at him. "I'll see you tomorrow."_

_Tetsuya gave a small smile, and then quietly closed the door as he left._

_Akashi let out a sigh, allowing himself to relax his shoulders and slump. Across him, Himuro was staring at Nijimura, and how the fog of his breathing faded in and out against the respirator. Beside Himuro, Daiki was watching the rise and fall of Nijimura-san's chest, and Akashi found himself doing the same, feeling greatly comforted over the assurance that Nijimura-san was right there, alive._

_It was a strange thing, Akashi thought, for him to have encountered Nijimura-san again in this manner. It had been more than a year since he'd last seen him, not since he'd graduated from Teikou and the basketball club after they had won their second championship in a row. Akashi didn't put much thought in seeing him again—although he had hoped that it would be on the court someday—and it struck him now that he had come so close to never seeing him again—his scoff or quick temper or heedless violence, and those determined and unrelenting eyes that never wavered. Akashi vaguely realized that it meant something to him if that would happen, and wasn't sure he understood the feeling._

_Akashi busied himself with trying to figure it out, watching Himuro and Daiki's somewhat distant concentration. He followed Himuro's gaze, which landed on Nijimura-san's face, and he felt a strange prick in his chest at seeing his brows furrowed in pain, breaths coming in both weak and strained. It was different from seeing people injured in the court—this was someone he realized he didn't want to see hurt, just as he'd felt anger when Tetsuya was elbowed in the head by one of the Kamata West twins, or when Shougo pulled that stunt against Ryouta during their Winter Cup match. This was someone he'd once called 'captain' and followed for years, one of the few he would openly respect, and for more reasons than just basketball. _

_When Nijimura's breathing deepened and his eyes fluttered just barely open, the puzzle in Akashi's head snapped into place as he stood in alert. The heart rate monitor to the side was beeping more noticeably, and the three of them in the room had snapped up and watched, anxious. Nijimura's eyes were glazed, flickering between staying awake and succumbing to sleep, and his body tensed as he shook, shivering against a shaking chill that swept over him. Akashi moved without thinking, pulling up his blanket and solidly resting his hand on his shoulder, not sure of what else to do. The shaking faded slightly, and Nijimura's head moved just a bit, his steely eyes peeking from under his lashes, glassy and yet looking straight at Akashi. His breathing evened out somewhat, though his chest rose and fell heavily, and Akashi felt tethered to their locked eyes, and after a moment, Nijimura's eyes fluttered shut, body shaking again against an inner chill. Himuro held Nijimura's tense hand, concern washing over his features, and exhaled when the shaking ceased. Daiki did the same, collapsing back on his seat beside him._

_Akashi stood frozen where he was, watching the rise and fall of Nijimura-san's chest. He felt strained, and forced himself to sit back. "Shaking chills," Akashi spoke, pulling out a handkerchief. "It's going to happen quite often, at least until his fever goes down."_

_Himuro sighed, resting his head on the hand that held Nijimura's. "That scared me."_

_He didn't say it out loud, but Akashi felt the same. He looked at Nijimura again and found comfort in his rhythmic breathing, and lightly dabbed his handkerchief on his former-captain's forehead, clearing away the sweat from his face. He just continued to watch him, almost counting the beats of his breaths, until he'd felt his eyelids go heavy. He heaved himself up and closed the room lights, finding that Himuro had fallen asleep with his head next to Nijimura's hand, his own just lightly resting on top of it. Beside him, Daiki was quietly snoring, arms crossed over his chest. Akashi tugged on his jacket and pulled it over Daiki, shrugging off his own jacket to roll it up into a small pillow and put it behind Daiki's head, letting him rest more comfortably and keep his neck from going stiff._

_Akashi settled back on his seat and exhaled, rolling his shoulders to release the tension that had built up. He went back to watching Nijimura-san breathe, letting it dawn on himself that what he'd rarely felt was something he experienced with his former teammates, and something that made him move almost on instinct, even without thought for any recompense. As he found comfort in seeing Daiki's softened expression, and in Nijimura-san's gentle breathing, he felt himself feeling protective over them. He realized that he cared for them, at least in his own way. And as he closed his eyes, feeling at ease at knowing that, he fell asleep to the sound of breathing. _

[tbc]

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**A/N:** More flashback in the next chapter! Again, thank you for the faves, follows, and reviews! They are always appreciated :)


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Last of the flashback! Thank you to **EminaRukiax**, **Fiammie**, **Sorariru**, **booklover1209**, and **Orangetabby101** for the reviews!

* * *

_Sunday_

_Akashi didn't know exactly when he fell asleep—Nijimura's chills had kept snapping him awake throughout the night, and he'd at one point decided to just stay up—but when a sliver of light peeked through from under his arms, and he'd realized that he was resting his head on them, atop Nijimura-san's bed, he found that it was morning._

_He shifted slightly, tilting his head to peek over his arms, a ray of sunlight grazing his vision, making him squint. He rested for a few moments, when suddenly he felt something warm press onto his hair. He turned his head to find Nijimura-san quietly patting his head, fingers gently threading through his red hair. Nijimura's eyes were half-open as he peered at Akashi, who raised his head, feeling more awake._

_"Nijimura-san," Akashi said. _

_The fog of his breathing against the respirator was soft, and Nijimura's eyes seemed sharper and more focused. He was still pale, and was sweating slightly, but his chest wasn't rising and falling as raggedly as the previous night. He looked at Akashi with contentment in his eyes, and ruffled Akashi's hair lightly, as if to say '_Good morning.'

_Akashi just looked at him, feeling relief over seeing him awake and moving voluntarily. He didn't move from Nijimura's patting hand when he said, "Good morning."_

_Nijimura-san ruffled his hair again and then set his hand to his side, and Akashi vaguely thought of doing what Himuro did when he held onto Nijimura's hand, but he didn't know why he would think of doing that now, so he dismissed the idea. He realized that across him, both Daiki and Himuro were missing, and that the jacket he'd made into a pillow for Daiki was sprawled behind his back. Akashi wasn't quite sure of what he felt about it, so he simply smiled as he pulled it from his back and folded it on his lap._

_"Nijimura-senpai!"_

_From the doorway, Daiki had appeared, Ryouta's head poking over his shoulder. When they saw Nijimura-san turn his head to look at them, their faces lit up, and they all but sprinted to the bed, nearly stumbling over each other._

_"How are you, senpai?"_

_"Are you feeling okay?"_

_"Does anything hurt?"_

_"Are you hungry?"_

_"Calm down," Akashi snapped at them, sighing. On the bed, Nijimura sighed under his respirator. "Give him some space."_

_"I'll—go get the doctor," Daiki offered, shoving a plastic bag towards Akashi. "Here. Breakfast."_

_Akashi blinked at him, taking the bag. "Thank you."_

_Daiki gave a nod and turned to leave, quietly closing the door behind him. On the other side of the bed, Ryouta kneeled on the ground and laid his arms on the bed, exhaling into them as he looked up at Nijimura-san with visible relief. He pulled on a smile, and Nijimura brought his hand over Ryouta's head, ruffling his hair like he did to Akashi. Ryouta chuckled, looking brighter, and Akashi found himself smiling._

_Daiki returned shortly with a doctor and a nurse in tow, and the three of them stepped out into the waiting area as Akashi ate the breakfast Daiki brought. Himuro appeared then, Atsushi eating behind him, and greeted them._

_"Good morning," Himuro said. "Why are you outside?"_

_"Nijimura-san woke up," Akashi explained, and Himuro lit up. "The doctor is checking on him right now."_

_"Right," Himuro smiled. "That's good. How is he?"_

_"Better," Daiki spoke. He accepted a snack that Atsushi offered him. "At least the medication's working. I think."_

_Himuro gave a nod, and then yawned softly. After a few moments, the door cracked open, and they all stood as the doctor and nurse walked out. _

_"Hello," the doctor said, regarding their group. _

_"How is he?" Daiki asked. _

_"His fever's gone down," the doctor remarked. "And his breathing is better, so we took him off of the respirator. It wouldn't have been good to keep him on it for too long anyway."_

_"Is he going to be alright?" Ryouta asked, brow furrowed in worry._

_The doctor smiled. "Of course. We've got him on good medication, and your friend is strong. Though he's just very fatigued, so he needs a lot of rest. If he'd gone on like that any longer, he might be worse off right now."_

_The others looked downcast, making the doctor flail. "But that isn't what happened!" he flapped. "Like I said yesterday, it was lucky he was brought to the hospital before he got any worse, so he's been saved from the worst of it."_

_Himuro gave a small smile. "Thank you, doctor."_

_"Just doing my job," the doctor grinned. "In any case, he still has to remain confined for at least a week. He may be responding well to the medication, but he's still not well enough to leave any time soon."_

_Akashi nodded. "I understand."_

_"Alright then, I'll be attending to other patients," the doctor said. "I'll be visiting regularly to check on his condition, but if anything does come up, there's a call button by the bed. A nurse will come by if you press that. Nijimura-kun will likely be sleeping a lot, but do watch over him as much as you can."_

_They nodded, and the doctor waved as he left. They filed back into the room to find Nijimura free from the respirator and asleep, and if it weren't for the beeping heart monitor to one side and the IV drip connected to his hand, he would have looked like a random teen that just dropped onto the bed to take a nap._

_"He must be really tired," Himuro said. "That idiot."_

_The others nodded. "Damn right," Aomine agreed. _

_"I—heard that…"_

_They jerked in surprise, seeing Nijimura move to rest the side of his head on the pillow. His eyes fluttered half-open, and he gave a huff, weakly pulling up his arm to reach out to the bedside table. _

_Akashi moved without thinking, grabbing the glass of water on the table and pressing it into Nijimura's hand. He pushed on a button to get the bed to incline his back higher, and kept a hand hovering over Nijimura's as he helped him drink._

_Nijimura downed the whole glass in a few gulps, and gave a sigh, flaccidly releasing the glass as Akashi pulled it away for a refill. He finished the whole second glass more steadily, and then breathed out again. He looked at Akashi, eyes still lidded with tiredness, and sleepily asked, "How long have I been here?"_

_"Over a day," Akashi answered, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"_

_"Gotta get back—to work," he said, shutting his eyes for a moment._

_Akashi stared at him, feeling a surge of irritation for his senior. "No," he said tersely. "We're taking care of your work for now. Focus on recovering."_

_Nijimura gave him a sharp look, muted slightly by his heavy eyelids. The austerity of Akashi's eyes brought him short, and he grunted, shifting slightly._

_Akashi put a firm hand on his shoulder, keeping Nijimura from sitting up as he pushed a button to lower the upper half of the bed almost flat. "You're still weak. Rest."_

_Nijimura groggily glared at him, but his eyelids gave up the fight against falling, and he fell back to sleep. Akashi sighed and pulled his hand back, grabbing the edge of Nijimura-san's blanket and pulling it higher over him._

_"It's just gonna get harder to keep him there the more he recovers, huh?" Daiki spoke, sitting back against a chair beside the hospital bed._

_"Undoubtedly," Akashi said, watching to make sure that Nijimura-san was sleeping soundly. "I'll come up with a countermeasure against that, somehow."_

_Fortunately, Nijimura-san practically slept throughout the rest of the day, just barely waking up to eat dinner that night. He once again voiced his stubborn will to leave hospitalization and get back to his duties, but luckily, Tetsuya and Satsuki had brought over Nijimura-san's younger siblings for a visit, and he was completely defeated by their near-crying faces._

_"Shuu-nii," his younger sister whimpered, her little hands holding onto Nijimura's in a tight grip. "Please don't die. Don't leave us."_

_Beside her, a younger brother Nijimura, a little older than his sister with the same steely eyes, made an obvious effort of not crying, biting his trembling lower lip and standing rigid at her side. "Nii-san," the little boy spoke. "I—I won't ask for extra melon bread anymore. Or—or the cheesy croquettes. So you don't have to work to buy those anymore. Just don't die."_

_"Don't leave us like papa!" the younger sister wailed, burying her head into the bed, sniffling._

_Nijimura was crushed right there, and he held his sister's hands tighter. "I'm not leaving," he said, his voice the kindest Akashi and the rest have ever heard from him. "And I'm not going to die."_

_His sister looked up at him then, large eyes full of worry and sparkling with tears. "Really?"_

_Nijimura smiled. "Really." He looked at his brother, who was clenching his fists at his sides. "I'll get better real soon and get you those croquettes you love, Shin. Let's all eat them together." His brother looked up at him, and his tears spilled over, and both Nijimura-san's siblings launched themselves at his bed while their cries and worries tumbled out of them like waves. Akashi and the others in the room sighed in relief as they gave the siblings their space, feeling triumph over the night's struggles against Nijimura-san trying to leave, and feeling a warmth bloom in their chests at seeing Nijimura's tender smile and gentle hug. The feeling only grew when they came back to check on them, and found that the Nijimura siblings had fallen asleep tangled together on the hospital bed, Nijimura-san holding them close with the most serene sleeping face he's had since getting hospitalized._

_Akashi had praised Tetsuya and Satsuki for their work, and gave the younger Nijimuras grateful pats on the head for sternly telling their older brother to stay hospitalized until he's better, to which he almost grudgingly agreed to on the morning that the kids returned home._

_They found that they didn't have to worry about Nijimura trying to get out of the hospital soon after, because they were otherwise faced with other concerns: his fever shot back up, and his body struggled against the fatigue that had piled up against it. He had intermittent chills and coughing fits and flashes of ragged breathing, and more or less slept terribly for the next three days, waking up only a few times, and just very briefly. It wore out the others more than the work they had to do—the worry was eating at them, and they hated seeing their _senpai _in pain. They barely slept during the times they watched over him, and they were growing increasingly more tired the longer Nijimura-san stayed hospitalized._

_Over those three days, Akashi had busied himself with compiling the notes for the classes Nijimura was missing, and Ryouta and Daiki fell into the swing of being waiters at the nearby restaurant with ease. Tetsuya and Shintarou constantly fought over the time slots to take for their jobs, but overall did well on them. Akashi, Himuro, and Atsushi took turns watching over Nijimura-san, whose sickness had faded gradually, though he'd slept continuously for hours upon hours because of his fatigue, and while they wanted him to rest, they wanted to see him awake (there was a growing dread that maybe, just maybe, Nijimura-san wouldn't wake up. They only had the beeping of the heart rate monitor and the gentle rise and fall of his chest to reassure them, but it didn't dissuade their worry)._

_On the afternoon of Wednesday, Akashi received a message from Atsushi that Nijimura-san was awake and sitting up and trying to leave (and _please come quick I'm running out of snacks_). Akashi dropped everything he was doing and excused himself from practice—one of the very few times he ever did—and rushed back to Tokyo. It took him over an hour to get there, and he ran into Satsuki upon entering. She fidgetted as they walked together, and Akashi raised an eyebrow when he noticed a rather curious mess of highschoolers trying to hide behind the shadow of the halls. He'd be lying if he said he didn't expect something like that to happen, and he was going to ignore it when an idea occurred to him—if Nijimura-san was growing more awake from his long bouts of sleep, then he'd undoubtedly try to leave hospitalization. And as much as Akashi wanted to see him standing, he had to stay. At least for a week._

_He rounded the corner and found Atsushi, Shintarou, Tetsuya, and Daiki waiting outside. Satsuki started scolding Daiki over leaving her, and Akashi glanced at the door before asking, "Atsushi, what did the doctor say?" _

_"He said we'll have to wait outside first while they do a check-up."_

_"Were you able to talk to him?" Shintarou said._

_"Just a little. It's like you said, Aka-chin. He started talking about going to work so I had to give him some of my snacks to stall him until the doctor came."_

_"Good call on that," Daiki smirked._

_"You might have had to wrestle him if the doctors were any longer," Satsuki chuckled._

_"Yes, that would have been very likely."_

_Akashi gave a sigh and pondered over the strategy with which to keep Nijimura-san from escaping. His siblings were an option, but they might just be more open about their older brother getting up from the hospital bed than Akashi, and may end up encouraging him to leave even more. Akashi's commanding glare and persuasion never seemed to work that well with him either. Maybe sedation—_

_The sound of the door opening interrupted his thoughts as the doctor stepped out. "Ah, Akashi-kun, hello," he spoke, smiling. "I see you and your friends are here to visit again."_

_"Good afternoon, doctor," Akashi spoke. "How did the check-up go?"_

_"He's getting better, but he needs more rest. He was in a pretty dangerous spot when he first came in."_

_Akashi nodded. He knew that all too well._

_"Can we go in the room now?" Daiki blurted, impatient._

_The doctor gave a light chuckle. "Yes, go ahead. He's still awake, but the medication we just gave him should start making him feel a bit sleepy. Don't take too long, and don't tire him out."_

_"Of course," Akashi gave a small smile._

_The doctor nodded at them and turned to leave, and the group filed into the room to find Nijimura-san pulling himself up and fiddling with his IV drip._

_"What are you doing," Shintarou barked, exasperated. _

_"I'm getting out of here," Nijimura-san said simply. _

_"_No,_" Akashi snapped, resisting the urge to groan. "You still need to recover."_

_"I can recover at home," Nijimura answered back. "And at work."_

_"Your work was what _got_ you here!" Daiki fought. _

_Nijimura scowled. "I'm fine now, I've had enough rest."_

_"No," Akashi repeated, stepping to block Nijimura from getting out of his bed. "The doctor clearly said that you need more rest or else your sickness will come back."_

_"Why don't we eat?" Atsushi offered. _

_"Yeah, why the hell not," Daiki said, quickly switching gears. "You've gotta be hungry, right, senpai?"_

_Nijimura made to argue, but his stomach betrayed him, rumbling. He frowned. _

_"Here, have some water," Satsuki spoke, handing Nijimura-san a glass of water. _

_He seemed to have realized his thirst and downed the whole glass, mumbling his thanks as Atsushi pulled out a snack and held it towards him. He grudgingly accepted the offering and finished the whole bar in a minute, and Atsushi was shooting panicked looks at Akashi as his snack reserve was slowly dwindling down._

_"I'll—go get some more food," Tetsuya proposed, walking towards the door. _

_"Good idea," Daiki remarked. "Go to where Kise is!"_

_Tetsuya nodded. "I'll be right back."_

_"Remember to bring some of those cheesy croquettes!" Daiki called. _

_"I'm going with Tetsu-kun!" Satsuki followed, bounding towards Tetsuya. Akashi noticed her freeze in her tracks momentarily, and then make an obvious effort of trying to sneak out without drawing suspicion, when there was a soft _thud_ and Himuro's voice suddenly sounding. _

_"Watch out there, Satsuki," they heard him say. "You heading out?"_

_"Ah, Muro-chin's here," Atsushi commented, looking brighter at the prospect of more food. _

_"Hey, Midorima, your team's here," Himuro called._

_From outside the door, they could hear simultaneous groans and tumbles of defeat. Shintarou staggered to the side to gape at the doorway, hissing "_What?_" as they heard Tetsuya sigh. Another voice greeted Shintarou (calling him "Shin-chan"), and Shintarou deflated. _

_"I…suppose I should excuse myself," he sighed. _

_Akashi supposed that he had no better options at the moment. "No, wait," he said. "Your team, is it? Then Seirin's with them?"_

* * *

_Present time_

The tables had been cleared away and Kagami fully satisfied—after gorging down inhuman amounts of food—when Kuroko and Midorima finished telling their week's struggles. The group comprised of Seirin, Shuutoku, and Kaijo took a moment to digest the story, and they all found themselves somewhat brought short at the parts where the Generation of Miracles were working together.

"I know you told us everything and all," Kasamatsu said. "But I can't quite picture the bits where you rainbow lot were taking care of Nijimura. Especially Akashi."

"I actually feel the same," Ootsubo commented. "But we saw them at it a while ago."

"I couldn't believe my eyes," Takao remarked.

"I suppose it seemed off to you all," Kuroko said, a small, sentimental smile on his lips. "But it actually feels similar to our time back in middle school."

"Really?" Kasamatsu asked, raising his eyebrows. "Hm. He _was_ your captain." He pondered over the idea, and then shuddered. "Wow. He was your captain. The captain of the Generation of Miracles."

The others seemed to get on his train of thought, and they all paused to process it.

"Holy crap, I can't imagine how it might have been," Miyaji blurt. "To have been in charge of those brats when they first got in the team."

"No kidding," Moriyama grimaced. "All five of them."

There was another pause as everyone seemed to get thrown into a pit of imaginary despair.

"What's so hard to imagine," Midorima scoffed. "He was our captain since he was a second year, and—"

"No, see, that's the point," Hyuga pushed. "He wasn't even in third year and he was already captain of _Teiko's_ _basketball_ _team_. Captain of the _Generation of Miracles_."

"And?" Midorima raised an eyebrow, not quite getting what they were all becoming so bewildered over.

"It's just—_how?_" Ootsubo grumbled, brows furrowed at Midorima. "I have a hard enough time with you."

"What—"

"And we've got _Kise_," Moriyama pointed out.

"Touou also has _Aomine_," Hyuga added.

"He was _Akashi's captain,_" Takao breathed, and it was a reminder that brought them all into silence.

They let the statements slowly settle into their thought-processing, eyes wide, looking completely baffled at the position that was once Nijimura's.

"That's it. I've decided," Kasamatsu announced. "I have to meet this guy. I need to know how he did it."

"Same here," Ootsubo said. "We didn't properly meet earlier, so I'll definitely come back."

"Why," Midorima slumped. Kuroko gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"I have a feeling I'll be coming back there soon, anyway," Kagami sighed. "So what the hell."

"Tomorrow then," Kasamatsu stated.

"Tomorrow," Ootsubo nodded. And the two captains shook on it, determined.

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**A/N:** It's canon that Nijimura has two younger siblings, but it was never mentioned how old they were so I just made it up (along with their names). So his younger brother would be in elementary, and his younger sister at around nursery or like first grade.

More people popping up in the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Thank you to all those who reviewed the previous chapter and faved this! This is where the part when I said this fic features like 90% of the KnB cast becomes evident haha.

**Fiammie:** Thank you! Nijimura-senpai is a magical being that all the current teams with Miragens must meet yes. You'll see in this chapter and the coming chapters!

Thank you also to **booklover1209** and **Orangetabby101** for your reviews! (yes Nijimura's so stubborn he deserves that bitch slap)

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Kise didn't exactly consider himself to be a revengeful kind of guy—he was more of the go-with-the-flow sort of person, and on the competitive side—but he felt a very rewarding and rather evil feeling of satisfaction when he saw Aominecchi's blood completely drain from his face as his Touou teammates walked into the restaurant where they worked.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Aomine groaned, crouched as if to hiss like a threatened cat.

"Looks like we're all having some kind of weird reunion," Kasamatsu, already seated at a table with the other Kaijo regulars, mumbled as he chewed.

Just at the doorway, the four Touou regulars stood, looking like they were preparing to torture a felon instead of eating dinner—which was probably exactly what they were there for, in a sense. Imayoshi grinned, wicked, and regarded the collection of fellow highschoolers in the establishment. To one side, Kaijo was halfway through their meals, with Kise serving as their waiter. The Shuutoku regulars—sans Midorima—sat at a table beside theirs, in the middle of ordering their dinner. Aomine was standing to one side, balancing two trays of meals on one arm, very visibly hostile towards the new customers.

"Why the fuck are you here," Aomine snarled, venom dripping every word.

"We got a tip that our precious ace was working part-time," Imayoshi smirked, thin eyes mischievous. "So we came over to pay you a visit."

Aomine squinted, growling, complete irritation wrinkling his features. Sakurai shrunk behind Wakamatsu, squealing, "I'm sorry!" while Wakamatsu looked like he had won the lottery.

"More friends?" a big booming voice suddenly came.

Kise lit up, cheeks aching from smiling so widely. "Yeah, boss! These are Aominecchi's teammates!"

"Teammates you say?" the large boss beamed. "Give them a table then, Aomine! You be their waiter!"

Aomine actually _hissed_, teeth bared, and if it wasn't for the rather bloody-looking butcher's knife that the boss wielded, it seemed like he would have attacked him right there. The boss gave him a thunderous smack to the back, winking, and spun the knife around as he pulled a chair and gestured at the Touou regulars to sit.

"Sit, sit!" he grinned. "Aomine will be here for you lot for whatever you need!"

"Oh, we're looking forward to it," Wakamatsu beamed, his complete joy and elation very ill-concealed by his full, ear-to-ear grin. Aomine growled, and a large, strong hand on his shoulder brought him just short of stabbing his teammate right there.

To the side, Kise was practically choking on his stifled laughs.

Aomine grudgingly took his teammates' orders, and if it weren't for the utter joy shielding them (and the boss hovering nearby), his glare would have punched holes right through them.

"Want anything else, assholes?" Aomine grumbled.

Wakamatsu ignored the cuss with utmost delight. "Maybe an extra iced tea, _waiter._ Oh, and remember to bring us water, _waiter_."

Aomine's eye twitched. The sharpening of various knives at the kitchen was the only thing that kept him from strangling Wakamatsu where he sat. "I will murder you in practice," Aomine loomed, stiffly stepping back to walk to the kitchen.

"Well that's one way to get him to go to practice," Imayoshi smiled.

At the other table, as he merrily tended to his teammates, Kise chuckled, looking just as happy as the Touou regulars.

"Excuse me, Kise-kun," Imayoshi poked. "Would you mind making sure that Aomine won't try to poison our meals?"

Kise laughed, nodding. "No problem, senpai!" he chirped, walking to the counter just in time to swat Aomine's hands away from ingredients and condiments that had no business being in his teammates' meals—_and _drinks.

And apart from various attempts at poisoning the Touou regulars or dumping various beverages onto their heads, the dinner went normally—or as normally as a basketball-team-packed restaurant could go. The teams of Kaijo, Shuutoku, and Touou more or less bonded over the food—and torturing the freshmen waiters—and shared stories of some 'Great Nijimura, Former Captain of Teiko and the Rainbow Gang', which Aomine wanted to stab a fork at and Kise just chuckled after.

When the boss gave his freshmen waiters a break a tad earlier than usual (apparently to give them some rest because of serving so much people—though it seemed more like because of fear of possibly getting reviews regarding poisoned and/or mangled customers), it took Kise and his Kaijou teammates' combined efforts to stop Aomine from launching himself at his team. He cooled down when the boss handed him some croquettes, with some for Nijimura. Aomine huffed, shooting glares at his team, but relaxed.

"I'd really like to meet this Nijimura-san," Imayoshi said, leaning back after paying the bill.

"We're on our way there right now," Ootsubo told him, standing up with a basket of fruits in hand.

To the side, Kasamatsu had a similar basket. "I hope he's awake."

"Don't stress Nijimura-senpai out, alright?" Kise said, already waving as the teams stood to leave.

"Don't fucking visit at all," Aomine groaned, then eyed the bag of croquettes in his hand. "Or wait, just give these and leave."

Imayoshi accepted the bag with a smile. "We'll tell him you said hi."

Kise grabbed Aomine before he got to attack his team, waving happily as they left the restaurant.

On the way to the hospital, the group ran into Kuroko, with some Seirin regulars in front of him, holding two baskets of treats and looking like they were going to offer them to a shrine.

"I'm sorry, but why are you all here?" Kuroko asked, staring blankly at the collection of basketball team members gathered before him.

"Yesterday was a mess, so we wanted to properly introduce ourselves" Ootsubo said. "And we all want to speak to Nijimura-san."

Kuroko tilted his head to one side. "Why?"

"We've got a bunch of things we want to ask him," Takao chimed in. "Especially the captains. We want to know how Nijimura-san managed to be the captain of Teiko's basketball team. _And _the Generation of Miracles."

"Well, he's a very strong player," Kuroko remarked. "He was considered to be the strongest power forward back then, at least until Aomine-kun. He was also a good leader, although he was a different kind of leader compared to Akashi-kun."

"He seems like the serious, quiet type," Miyaji commented.

"He's different on the court though," Kuroko said immediately.

"I'm sorry, I still can't imagine someone like _Aomine _following that guy," Wakamatsu huffed. "Or anyone, for that matter."

"Aomine-kun—no, _everyone_ was different back in middle school," Kuroko said, reminiscing. "And Nijimura-san was someone we respected ever since our first year." Kuroko looked thoughtful. "Teiko was very strict and competitive, and Nijimura-san constantly reminded us of that, but he was a _senpai_ to us—the closest thing to a big brother to all of us, although none of the others would ever admit it."

The horde of basketball members looked at him in wonder, feeling a sense of awe frame the picture of Nijimura, former captain of Teiko's basketball team.

"Aomine-kun, in particular," Kuroko added. "Was someone who looked up to Nijimura-san."

"_What,_" Wakamatsu gasped.

Kuroko gave a small smile. "Nijimura-san was a strong power forward, like I said. Aomine-kun also had a hard time against him, and very intently watched Nijimura-san's plays, until he overtook him. But even then Aomine-kun looked up to Nijimura-san, though he probably didn't realize it fully."

"I'm really having a hard time believing all of this," Wakamatsu slumped.

"It _is_ in the past," Kuroko remarked. "But it's all true. Nijimura-san was a very good captain and senpai. Although he was a bit strict. And sometimes violent." Kuroko almost shuddered. "And he had incredible stamina, so he was able to handle both practice and being a senpai and captain." Kuroko recalled the time when Aomine-kun started skipping practice, and lost his smile while playing basketball. And how Nijimura-san patted his head after they'd won their second championship in a row, telling him that it was okay to be honest with himself. He had made Aomine-kun smile, which was something even Kuroko couldn't do at that time, and Kuroko was very grateful for that.

The group had to take three elevators to get them all up, and when they filed out into the fourth floor, Murasakibara and Himuro were ahead of them, and gaped when they saw the mess of high schoolers.

Reflexively, Murasakibara extended his long arms at his side, blocking most of the path to Nijimura's room.

"Too many," he said. "There's too many of you. Go away."

Himuro pulled his slack jaw closed, swallowing. "Wow. Yeah. What is this, a basketball tournament?"

"We brought food," Kuroko pointed out, and that seemed to do the trick.

"…Alright," Murasakibara lowered his arms, eyeing the food. "But don't be too messy. Mura-chin needs rest."

Himuro shrugged, opening the door and walking in, Murasakibara behind him. Seirin entered first, followed by the other teams. At the bed, Nijimura was inclined to sit up a bit, eating some hospital grub he didn't look like he wanted to eat, and he blinked when he saw them.

"We weren't able to properly introduce ourselves last time," Hyuuga started, bowing slightly, handing one of the baskets from his team. "I'm Hyuuga Junpei, from Seirin. This is Aida Riko, our coach, and then Kiyoshi, Izuki, and Koganei. You've already met Kagami." He gestured to his teammates, and then gave another bow. "Thank you for taking care of Kuroko."

Nijimura gave a small bow, awkwardly accepting the baskets, which Murasakibara helped out with. "Yeah, uh, no problem," he said, smirking slightly. "I hope he isn't giving you as much trouble as he gave me."

Kuroko pouted, and Kagami laughed. "This guy gave you trouble?" he chuckled, patting Kuroko on the head.

"Oh, definitely," Nijimura said. "He was a special case from day one. He took a little getting used to, for everyone."

"I wonder how that was like," Hyuuga smiled, ruffling Kuroko's hair. Nijimura smirked.

"I was also here yesterday," Ootsubo stepped forward, clearing his throat. "I'm Ootsubo, Midorima's captain from Shuutoku. This is my team." The Shuutoku regulars gave small bows, handing their basket over, which Murasakibara also took and then set on the bedside table.

"Thank you," Nijimura bowed his head again. "I trust that Midorima's always practicing dilligently?"

"Longer than any of us," Ootsubo smiled.

Nijimura nodded, approving. "I hope you haven't been tripped up by any of his bigger lucky items."

"It's happened at least once to each of us," Takao chuckled. Nijimura sighed, smiling.

Kasamatsu cleared his throat, stepping forward. "I'm Kasamatsu, from Kaijo," he started.

"Ah, Kise's team, then?" Nijimura said, turning to look at him. "So you're the captain, and then there's Moriyama, Hayakawa, Kobori, and Nakamura."

"I—yes. You know us?" Kasamatsu blinked.

"Kise doesn't shut up about you guys," Nijimura grinned, shrugging. "But, well, Kise doesn't really shut up in general."

The Kaijo guys laughed at that, nodding in agreement. They offered their basket to a sheepish Nijimura, and Himuro relieved him of the gift to put it on the table.

"This is from Aomine," Imayoshi spoke up, presenting the bag of croquettes. "We're his teammates from Touou."

Nijimura's eyes lit up at the sight of the croquettes, and he gratefully accepted, almost immediately pulling one out to unwrap it. "Thank you," he said meaningfully. "I'm Nijimura. You're lucky to have that brat."

"He's an amazing player," Imayoshi nodded, and his teammates grimaced, nodding as well. "But a brat, yes. Such a handful, that one. How _did_ you deal with him when he was even more of a brat, Nijimura-san?"

"How did you deal with all of them," Kasamatsu added, leaning forward.

"You mean the previous team?" Nijimura cocked his head. "What's there to know?"

"Like—" Kasamatsu was gesturing with his hands. "How did you handle the _Generation of Miracles, _as captain? You weren't even in third year yet!"

"I barely did much, really," Nijimura said. "They were—_are_—outstanding players."

"Well in basketball, sure. But what about the _brat_ part," Wakamatsu pointed out, finger raised up. "We all know they're monsters, but they've got weird-ass personalities to boot. How did you captain _that_?"

"Well for one, they weren't 'monsters' back in middle school," Nijimura remarked. "Or now, really. They're just brats. Talented brats." He looked thoughtful, remembering his time back in Teiko. "I guess I watched them grow."

"So—they were actually _normal_ at one point?"

"Like I said, they're just brats," Nijimura smiled. "They were all talented to begin with, but they became as strong as they were—and _are_—because of hard work. They went through Spartan training back in Teiko. They even had stamina problems during their first year. They felt pressure." At that, Nijimura looked serious. "Being in Teiko's basketball club entailed a lot of pressure, but the team with the 'Generation of Miracles', as they started to call them, including us third years, got way more attention than anyone. And it bore down on us all."

The others took it all in silently, the thought of the pressure of excellence having escaped them, at least when it concerned the Generation of Miracles. Sure, they knew what pressure felt like, especially with people cheering behind you and reputations you had to uphold, but the position of Teiko and the Generation of Miracles was one they never reached. They never knew what it was like to have been the best. To have been called 'Miracles', and have everyone expect you to win every time—and by large margins. It was a different perspective, and they were slowly coming into terms with it, hearing it from Nijimura.

"It seems like they revert to their middle school selves when they're with you," Kiyoshi commented.

"Hah, yeah, it doesn't feel like they've changed much," Nijimura scoffed, glancing at Murasakibara, who was vacuuming up his bag of snacks.

"It's a side that we never really expected to see from them," Miyaji added.

Just then, the door to the hospital room opened, and in walked Kise and Aomine, looking exhausted and dirty with stains all over their clothes. Behind them, Midorima followed, and he froze when he saw the familiar orange of his Shuutoku teammates, deflating to a slump afterwards with a groan. Aomine growled when he spotted _his_ teammates, shooting them stabbing glares as he moved to the side of Nijimura's bed.

"Nijimura-senpai, are these guys bothering you?" he grumbled, dropping into a chair next to Murasakibara.

"_Senpai?_" Wakamatsu hissed, and Kagami pat his shoulder.

"_I know_," he sighed.

"Nah, they brought food," Murasakibara mumbled as he chewed.

"So why don't you get out already," Aomine spat at them.

And Nijimura flicked him on the forehead, so strong that it actually sent Aomine reeling back with a yelp. "That's not your call, idiot," Nijimura scowled.

Aomine rubbed at his forehead, and his Touou teammates tensed, expecting some form of violent reaction from their ace, but Aomine just pouted, sitting back on his chair.

"Oh my god," Wakamatsu muttered under his breath. "I don't believe it."

By the entrance, the door suddenly creaked open, and Akashi swiftly slipped in, immediately spotting the large group of guys meshed around the room. He paused to take in the chaotic sight, when suddenly the door jerked forward, snapping Akashi back alert as he instantly pushed against it, keeping it from opening any further.

"Sei-chan, come on!" a voice from outside wailed.

Akashi grunted, struggling to push the door closed. "I said no," he barked, stern.

"_Please_ Akashi please please please—" another voice called out from outside.

"We brought food!" a booming voice came, giving the door a knock.

"Aka-chin, what's happening?" Murasakibara stood, peering at Akashi's very strained effort at trying to shut the door.

"Atsushi, I need your assistance," Akashi grumbled, eyes flitting towards the room as he put all his weight into pushing the door. "And the others too—"

"Alright, you leave us no choice," someone called from outside.

Akashi's eyes widened, and he was about to call out to Murasakibara when the door heaved open, pushing Akashi a whole foot back into the room as large hands appeared on the door's edge.

"We're coming in—!" the booming voice sounded, and the door shoved open further, pushing Akashi back.

"Pardon the intrusion~!" a cheery voice came, and in stepped Hayama Kotarou, speedily slipping in from behind Nebuya. Holding the door open, Nebuya cackled, pushing inside while dragging Mayuzumi with him, Mibuchi following close after.

"_R-Rakuzan?_" Koganei gasped, stepping back.

Akashi sighed, giving up on the door as his teammates filed into the room, no less intimidating than they were on the court.

"You should have locked the door," Mayuzumi told Akashi.

"I was going to. Though Nebuya might have broken it down anyway," Akashi sighed, quickly stepping in front of his teammates as they walked in.

"Whoa whoa why are there so many people!" Hayama bounced, peeking over Akashi's shoulder. "Your ex-captain's famous!"

"I told you that you shouldn't have come," Akashi scolded, and everyone shuffled to give him and his team some space. Hayama cheerily greeted Izuki and everyone else he got close to, and Nebuya gave a friendly—though unnecessarily strong—smack to the backs of Ootsubo and Kiyoshi, greeting them with a gigantic smile while carrying a basket of meat. Mibuchi smiled at Hyuuga, who shuddered, and winked at Midorima, who also shuddered. Mayuzumi lagged behind them, quietly nodding at Kuroko when their eyes met.

They stood at the foot of Nijimura's bed, and Akashi made a small gesture towards his teammates. "This is my team," he introduced. "From Rakuzan. Mibuchi Reo, Hayama Kotarou, Nebuya Eikichi, and Mayuzumi Chihiro."

"It's nice to meet you Nijimura-sama!" Hayama burst, leaning forward on the bed frame.

"There's so much we want to talk to you about, Niji-chan!" Reo gushed, pressing close to Akashi as he eagerly leaned towards Nijimura as well.

"I brought meat to help with your recovery!" Eikichi beamed, stepping forward and lifting his basket of meat.

Nijimura raised an eyebrow. "What—'-sama'? Niji-_chan?_"

Akashi grunted at his teammates shoving, pushing them back. "Stop pushing," he snapped. "And don't bother Nijimura-san."

The three Uncrowned Kings looked at their captain, then erupted in squeals and bellows of disbelief, crowding over Akashi.

"What what! You use _keigo_ when you're talking about him!"

"Sei-chan you're so cute!"

"This guy's amazing huh? Huh?"

"Is it because you _like_ him, Akashi?"

"Oh my god, _our _Sei-chan?"

"I can't believe this. Wow."

"You mean Reo-nee is _contagious?_"

"What do you mean _contagious._"

"No no no Akashi's _pure _and _precious_, there's no way he'll get infected."

Akashi sighed, covering his face with a hand. To the side, Aomine and Kise were clutching their stomachs in the epic struggle to suppress their laughs, and across them, Midorima was looking away, hand clamped over his mouth and shoulders shaking with obvious strain at doing the same. Kuroko was in a similar position, fist pressed against his lips as his cheeks puffed, and beside him, Mayuzumi sighed.

"_Pfft_—" Nijimura snorted, a hand drawn up to cover his mouth. Akashi looked at him, making a light chuckle escape Nijimura's lips, and the rest of the Generation of Miracles stared.

When a small smile tugged at Akashi's lips, Aomine and Kise lost it, bursting into laughter at the side, Murasakibara chuckling beside them. A muffled sound cracked out from Midorima as he turned to hide his face, and Kuroko huffed, a small laugh floating out his mouth as he hugged his stomach with shaking arms.

By the bed, Nijimura grinned, shoving at Aomine's head and ruffling his hair, almost knocking his head onto Kise's, the two freshmen just laughing like idiots. Nebuya guffawed, presenting his meat basket towards Nijimura, and Mibuchi gave a small bow, chuckling under his breath. Hayama was laughing brightly, head thrown back with an arm around Akashi's shoulders, and Akashi was smiling.

Once again, the rest of the teams gaped at very unfamiliar sight that they beheld, feeling like they were seeing something that was extremely rare and precious. Without really thinking, Mayuzumi snapped a photo with his phone, giving a smirk. Everyone suddenly felt lighter, smiling and chuckling along with them, and it was a welcome burst of happiness to all of them.

"Thanks for the food," Nijimura said, eyebrow raised. "You're all lucky to have Akashi. I trust he's leading you well?"

"Oh yeah, definitely," Mibuchi cooed, looking like a proud mother hen. "Sei-chan's a great captain. He's even the student council president at Rakuzan!"

Nijimura snorted, smirking. "That's actually not surprising."

"But you were once his captain right?" Hayama chirped, leaning his torso over the footboard. "That's amazing! What was it like? How did you do it? You _have _to tell us stories!"

Akashi had retreated to the side of the bed, refilling a glass of water. "Give Nijimura-san some rest, Kotarou."

"Aw, but he looks fine!" Hayama pouted. "You're fine right? You're okay now?"

"Yes," Nijimura wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or amused at Hayama. "I've been telling these brats for days now that I'm fine already."

"No, you're not," Aomine barked.

"You slept like the whole day, Mura-chin," Murasakibara frowned at Nijimura. "And you had those chills a few times. And you still have a cough. You're still sick."

"Shut up, I said I'm okay," Nijimura scoffed, his last words getting rough around the edges, followed by a short fit of horrible-sounding coughs. His hand went up to his chest as a stinging pain pricked at his lungs, and Akashi brought the glass of water towards Nijimura. He laid a weak hand over Akashi's as he tilted the glass up, slowly letting Nijimura drink. He swallowed a few gulps, then pushed away to cough once, then continued drinking until the glass was empty.

Nijimura exhaled when he pulled away, leaning his head back onto his pillow. "Talk about bad timing," he wheezed, shutting his eyes to calm his breathing, feeling a muted pain throb at his chest.

"I think my heart skipped a beat," Mibuchi breathed, eyes sparkling at Akashi and Nijimura.

"See, you're not fine," Aomine huffed, tugging at Nijimura's blanket with a pout.

Nijimura sighed. "My throat was just dry," he scowled, lifting his head up again. "Fine. Kagami," he called out, making Kagami stiffen in attention. Nijimura pushed away the food tray at the over-bed table, pressing a button to incline the bed up. "Let's have another match."

Kagami paled, feeling himself flinch. "What, _now_?"

Nijimura nodded, fixing him with a piercing stare that made the others shudder as they saw his indomitable expression, feeling right there the presence of someone who was once called _captain of Teiko's basketball team_. "Yeah. Let's go."

Akashi stared at him. "Nijimura-san, you need rest," he said simply.

"I've _had_ rest," Nijimura snapped. "Besides, you were the one who suggested this."

"But that doesn't mean that you should—"

Akashi was stopped short by a flick to the forehead, and Rakuzan's Uncrowned Kings gasped, literally scandalized and completely shocked over someone actually _flicking Akashi on the forehead_.

"No 'buts'," Nijimura rebuked, drawing his hand back. "I'm gonna try every time I can. You knew that when you suggested this, for sure."

Akashi's hand lightly hovered over his forehead, feeling the spot throb. He looked at Nijimura, and the Rakuzan members collectively gulped, looking like they were ready to throw themselves out the window. But to their surprise, Akashi just squinted, sighing, and simply replied, "Fine."

He looked at Kagami, who staggered back, feeling everyone else's eyes land on him.

"What's happening? What's Kagami gonna do?" Wakamatsu whispered.

"Kagami-kun, I don't think you have a choice," Kuroko poked Kagami.

"You just have to win, Taiga" Himuro said, pushing Kagami's shoulder.

Kagami groaned, feeling like he was getting sizzled under the gaze of the Generation of Miracles. Both Himuro and Kuroko nudged him forward, and he cautiously walked towards the bed, almost shrinking under Nijimura's stare as he bent forward.

Up close, he could see that there was more color in Nijimura's cheeks as compared to before, and a sharper shine to his eyes. He definitely looked better, and the air around him felt stronger and more pronounced, but Kagami sensed that Nijimura was still blunt around the edges, still a bit muffled by sickness. Nevertheless, there was no mistaking his strength, especially after almost losing the first time, so Kagami resolved it in himself to not hold back this match.

"Don't hurt Nijimura-senpai, Kagamicchi," Kise warned.

"If you hurt him I'll punch you," Aomine barked, squinting.

Kagami groaned. "I _know_. You said that already."

"On three," Akashi announced.

"What? What? What's happening?" Hayama looked as confused as he was excited. "What are they doing?"

"I think I understand," imayoshi smirked. "This is interesting."

Kagami clasped Nijimura's hand, instantly feeling that Nijimura was definitely stronger this time. He swallowed, setting his jaw, and met those sharp, steely eyes.

"Arm wrestling? Whoa why are they arm wrestling—"

Nebuya barked out a laugh. "I don't really get it, but this is definitely interesting!"

"This has Sei-chan written all over it," Mibuchi chuckled.

Akashi ignored them. "One."

"This is intense," Takao piped up, looking amused.

"I feel sorry for Kagami," Kasamatsu said.

"But there's no doubting he's a perfect fit for the job," Imayoshi remarked.

Kagami wanted to throw something at them, feeling Nijimura's fingers tighten around his hand.

"Two."

"You can do it, Taiga."

"Don't go easy on him, Kagami!"

"Three."

Kagami pushed, fully intending to take the initiative this time. But their arms were locked in their starting position right off the bat, and both their arms were trembling with strained effort at trying to overwhelm the other.

Nijimura tsked, clearing his throat and fighting back a cough. Kagami's eyes flickered towards him, and at that split-second distraction, Nijimura pushed harder, jerking Kagami's arm back. It seemed like he wanted to end it quickly, and Kagami felt beads of sweat starting to form at his temples when his arm lowered further.

"O-ohh! Nijimura-san's got the lead!" Wakamatsu half-cheered.

"Oi oi _Bakagami_," Aomine growled.

"Shut up," Kagami grunted, pushing back with a surge of strength. He moved about an inch up, and Nijimura supressed another cough, grumbling as he tried to keep his lead. Kagami remembered what Akashi had mentioned before—about Nijimura-san's not yet recovered stamina—and started to seriously wonder how much stamina Nijimura really has at his best condition. Being the captain of Teiko's basketball team _and _the Generation of Miracles called for serious energy, and having three part-time jobs alongside being the man of the house was probably even more exhausting. Going against him, even just at arm-wrestling, made Kagami conclude that Nijimura probably had more stamina than him, if he was already this good while in the middle of recovering.

From the corner of his vision, Kagami saw Akashi move to refill another glass of water. Kagami thought that It was definitely weird that Akashi entrusted his former-captain's hospital confinement to him, but he realized just then that rather than just simply trusting him to keep winning against Nijimura, Akashi trusted _Nijimura_ more to recover at his own pace and at his own time. And as weird as the whole deal might have been, Kagami respected that—and he had gone and gotten involved anyway, so he was at least going to see this through.

He pushed, focusing his energy into his arm. Their positions shook, and Kagami adjusted himself to lock his arm right where it was, constantly pushing against Nijimura's with measured force enough to make sure that Nijimura's lead wouldn't go any further. After a few beats, he felt the pressure on his arm lessen, _just _slightly, and Kagami knew that his 'strategy' was working.

When he felt the pressure against his arm lessen even more and heard Nijimura's grunt, he knew that he had found the right answer: beat him back with stamina. Akashi had mentioned that Nijimura's stamina was shot, and though he was obviously strong and probably had more endurance than Kagami, he hadn't recovered enough to be able to beat the amount of stamina Kagami had. And though Nijimura was _really_ hard to push back, it wasn't long before he had weakened enough for Kagami to reverse their positions and win.

When Nijimura sighed and leaned back, Kagami felt his arm go limp as they let go. Kagami slumped, giving a huge sigh of his own, and shook his arm weakly. The others around him were a mix of sighs of relief and cheers, and the Generation of Miracles relaxed, getting back into both scolding Nijimura and taking care of him.

"Let's have a rematch," Nijimura told Kagami.

"Tomorrow," Akashi said sternly, handing him a glass of water. Nijimura frowned at him, but relented.

"Good job, Kagamicchi!" Kise perked up, flashing Kagami a sparkling grin.

Kagami grunted, stepping back towards his teammates and getting sympathetic pats on his back. By the bed, Nijimura had started chomping on another croquette, and he offered Aomine one of them, which he gratefully accepted.

"I'll go get some drinks," Kuroko announced, weaving through the small crowd around him.

"Ah wait, I'll go with you," Aomine stood. He turned to look at Nijimura. "Want a sports drink?"

Nijimura nodded, looking grateful. "Please."

"Ooh me too, Aomine-kun," Imayoshi called.

"And me!" Wakamatsu tried.

Aomine glared at them. "Shut up. Get them on your own."

He snarled at their evil laughs and turned, Kuroko following behind him. Aomine swiftly opened the door and made to go out, but stopped short before stepping outside, making Kuroko stagger to a sudden stop.

"Aomine-kun?" he asked, trying to peer past Aomine's side.

"Fucking hell—_Daiki?_" someone outside said, and the voice was one that Kuroko knew all too well.

Aomine straightened up slightly, glaring suspiciously at the newcomer out the door, and he sounded almost content when he replied, "_Haizaki_."


End file.
